Skip to player
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Comments
Bookmark
Share
Add to Playlist
Report
FMQs unpicked with Dale Miller and Rachel Amery February 29 2024
The Scotsman
Follow
29/02/2024
FMQs unpicked with Dale Miller and Rachel Amery February 29 2024
Category
🗞
News
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:00
(upbeat music)
00:02
- Good afternoon and welcome to the Scotsman's Politics Show.
00:15
We're wrapping up First Minister's Questions here
00:18
for another week.
00:20
I'm joined by political correspondent, Rachel Armory.
00:23
Good afternoon, Rachel.
00:25
- Afternoon.
00:26
- Look, you're coming to us from Holyrood
00:28
and perhaps unsurprisingly, all the questions today
00:32
off the top from both Anna Salwa and Douglas Ross
00:36
were about the Emma Caldwell verdict,
00:38
which we learned yesterday.
00:40
Can you talk us through what that verdict was
00:42
and the nature of some of the questions?
00:45
- Well, yes, after 19 years,
00:47
Ian Packer has been found guilty
00:49
of the murder of Emma Caldwell
00:50
and a number of other cases of attacks and rapes
00:53
against various women over the years as well.
00:55
So both Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader,
00:58
and Anna Salwa, the Scottish Labour leader,
01:00
both questioned Humza Yousaf on this topic today.
01:03
Saying that there's been multiple feelings in the police.
01:05
Police do have an issue with things like misogyny
01:08
and sexism as well.
01:09
Both as well calling for an independent
01:11
public inquiry to take place.
01:13
Now, Humza Yousaf's response to that
01:15
was that it's not off the table.
01:17
In fact, later on in his speech,
01:18
he then said it's firmly on the table
01:20
and it is something that the government
01:22
is actively looking at exploring just now.
01:24
He also says that he has written
01:26
to Emma Caldwell's mother, Margaret,
01:28
offering to meet with both,
01:30
offering for him and the justice secretary
01:32
to meet with her and her legal representatives as well.
01:34
But a very subdued atmosphere in FMQs today,
01:37
particularly after the last couple of weeks.
01:38
It's been very fiery questioning
01:40
the last few weeks of First Minister's questions.
01:42
But this time around, very subdued.
01:44
Now, after First Minister's questions finished,
01:46
we tried to grab a word from Humza Yousaf
01:47
to ask for a bit more detail.
01:49
You might actually be able to see
01:49
he's behind me right now trying to get his photograph taken.
01:51
Unfortunately, he walked past and just said,
01:53
I've said what I've said in the chamber already.
01:56
- It was interesting, Douglas Ross,
01:58
we shouldn't be surprised.
01:59
He agreed with some of what Humza was saying,
02:02
but basically made it clear that he felt
02:05
that he needed to act urgently
02:07
to press ahead with this judge-led inquiry.
02:10
There was some questions about whether that judge,
02:13
if the inquiry went ahead, came from Scotland or not.
02:16
Was that relevant?
02:17
Rachel?
02:18
- Yes, one thing that's quite unusual about FMQs today
02:21
was that Anna Sarwar, Humza Yousaf and Douglas Ross
02:23
all seemed to agree on a lot of the points
02:25
that we're seeing today.
02:26
So lots of consensus between the three party leaders
02:29
at this debate today.
02:30
But yes, Douglas Ross is very keen to make sure
02:32
that this is an independent judge-led inquiry
02:35
and that person leading the inquiry is not from Scotland.
02:38
They want to make sure it's completely separate
02:39
from all of the sort of justice system
02:41
that we have here in Scotland,
02:43
all of the police services we have as well.
02:44
They want someone who's completely separated
02:46
from all of those things.
02:47
So he's wanted to make sure that individual
02:49
is not somebody from Scotland
02:51
so they can be completely unbiased and fair
02:53
when it comes to this inquiry.
02:54
- And Rachel, just for Police Scotland,
02:58
this is another headache that they do need to deal with.
03:00
Anna Sarwar brought up failings within the force,
03:04
the questions over misogyny,
03:06
there's questions over listening and properly taking forward
03:10
evidence given by victims.
03:12
There were references to journalism,
03:14
the fact that it took several publications
03:19
and broadcasters like the BBC
03:20
to really push this story to get justice.
03:23
We know here at the Scotsman,
03:25
we've written a lot about the case as well.
03:27
But coming around to what Police Scotland have to get right,
03:32
there was a report as well when Ian Livingstone
03:34
was finishing up as chief constable,
03:36
acknowledged failings within the force.
03:38
How much pressure on them to actually show
03:41
they're undergoing meaningful change now?
03:44
- Well, yes, the outgoing chief constable, Ian Livingstone,
03:47
when he left his position,
03:48
he did say that it was a very big problem
03:50
within the police force with things like
03:52
misogyny, sexism and racism.
03:54
And that is something that Anna Sarwar
03:56
brought up in the chamber today.
03:57
And given the content of this report that we had
04:01
about the problems of misogyny,
04:03
this case in certain ways kind of demonstrates that.
04:06
It feels that there was a lot of sexism and misogyny
04:08
in investigating this particular case.
04:10
So there's been a lot of headaches for the police force,
04:12
a lot of questions for them to answer.
04:14
And that is why the two party leaders
04:16
have been calling for this public inquiry
04:17
because they're hoping that that will give the answers
04:20
people are so desperately wanting.
04:21
- Rachel, Jo Farrell is the chief constable
04:26
that started in October.
04:28
So it will be interesting to see what she has to say
04:32
about calls for improvement within Police Scotland.
04:34
I, thanks very much, Rachel, for joining us.
04:39
It's taken us through the majority of what we heard
04:41
at First Minister's Questions today.
04:43
Thank you all for joining and watching this video.
04:46
You can read our full coverage at scotsman.com.
04:49
Follow the politics tab for the latest,
04:53
and you'll be able to find out all the details
04:56
about the Emma Caldwell case,
04:57
the verdict surrounding Ian Packer,
05:00
and what the criticism is
05:03
about the failings of the force moving forward.
05:05
(upbeat music)
05:10
(upbeat music)
05:12
[MUSIC]
Recommended
6:40
|
Up next
First Ministers Questions: Unpicked with Rachel Amery and Dale Miller
The Scotsman
02/05/2024
6:23
The Scotsman: FMQs unpicked Thursday May 16 2024 #FMQs
The Scotsman
16/05/2024
7:59
Scotsman Politics: FMQs Review - Thursday January 18 2024
The Scotsman
18/01/2024
7:12
Scotsman Politics: FMQs Review - Thursday January 11 2024
The Scotsman
11/01/2024
54:41
The Scotsman Politics FMQs Review Thursday November 23 2023
The Scotsman
23/11/2023
3:27
The Scotsman Bulletin Thursday September 05 2024 #FMQs
The Scotsman
05/09/2024
7:27
Scotsman Politics: FMQs unpicked with Dale and Alistair - Thursday November 28 2024
The Scotsman
28/11/2024
7:18
Scotsman Politics: FMQs Roundup for Thursday February 27 2025 #FMQs
The Scotsman
27/02/2025
6:50
First Ministers Questions unpicked with Rachel and Dale
The Scotsman
05/09/2024
5:54
Scotsman Politics: FMQs Roundup with Dale Miller and Rachel Amery #DouglasRoss #FlamingoLand
The Scotsman
29/05/2025
7:37
Scotsman Politics: FMQs unpicked Thursday December 12 2024
The Scotsman
12/12/2024
8:33
Scotsman Politics: FMQs Unpicked Thursday December 19 2024
The Scotsman
19/12/2024
5:46
First Ministers Questions unpicked Thursday April 25 2024 #SNP #GreenParty
The Scotsman
25/04/2024
4:40
The Scotsman Bulletin Thursday April 18 2024 #Politics #FMQs
The Scotsman
18/04/2024
0:37
Political Correspondent Rachel Amery In Fort William
The Scotsman
24/07/2023
52:54
Scottish Parliament: FMQs with First Minister Humza Yousaf - The Scotsman Roundup
The Scotsman
26/10/2023
5:42
Scotsman Politics: FMQs roundup Thursday February 06 2025
The Scotsman
06/02/2025
5:26
The Scotsman Bulletin Tuesday April 30 2024 #FirstMinister
The Scotsman
30/04/2024
7:36
Scotsman Politics: FMQs Unpicked Thursday February 20 2025 #FMQs
The Scotsman
20/02/2025
3:11
Scottish Parliament FMQs - Thursday March 30 2023
The Scotsman
30/03/2023
5:49
First Ministers Questions unpicked - November 14 2024
The Scotsman
14/11/2024
8:29
FMQs unpicked: Thursday January 23 2025
The Scotsman
23/01/2025
6:13
Scotsman Politics: FMQs Unpicked Thursday December 05 2024
The Scotsman
05/12/2024
19:38
First Ministers Questions - Thursday April 26 2024
The Scotsman
26/04/2024
6:52
The Scotsman FMQs Review Thursday February 08 2024
The Scotsman
08/02/2024