FMQs Roundup: Thursday May 08 2025 #FMQs

The Scotsman

Transcript

00:00Hello and welcome to the Scotsman's Politics Show for this Thursday.

00:05We're here to unwrap and unpick First Minister's questions for another week.

00:09And I'm joined by our political correspondent, Rachel Amory,

00:12who's coming to you live from the halls of Holyrood.

00:15Rachel, slightly different FMQs today given the occasion.

00:20We know it's the 80-year anniversary of VE Day

00:23with events happening across the country.

00:25And John Swinney and other party leaders paid their tributes as well.

00:31Yeah, that's how First Minister's questions started off today.

00:34And it was across the entire parliament that there were two-minute silence was observed.

00:38So I was actually down here in the garden lobby

00:40and a notice came over the tanner to say that the silence had started.

00:44And everyone did observe that throughout the whole building,

00:47which was quite something to sort of witness as well.

00:51But yeah, each party leader going over their own tributes there.

00:54Quite interestingly, John Swinney made a reference to his uncle

00:58who died in Italy 35 days before the E Day.

01:02We've actually got a story on that written by John Swinney himself

01:06on the Scotsman's website.

01:07So if any of our viewers want to take a bit more of a look into that,

01:10then I'm sure they can find that on our website there.

01:12So that's how today started off,

01:14before we got into the litty-gritty of FMQs this week.

01:16And, Rachel, it was programmed for government back on Tuesday,

01:21almost seems a lifetime ago, but the significance of that will rumble on.

01:26First Minister John Swinney was accused of plagiarism at the time

01:30around some of the plans that they unveiled around GP appointments, et cetera.

01:35The rabbit in the hat was the peak railfares being scrapped from September.

01:42But the PFG formed the basis of the questions today.

01:45Can you just run us through what the attack lines were?

01:48Yeah, that's what the main questioning was,

01:50particularly from the Conservatives and the Labour Party.

01:52The Conservatives are focusing on the promise to end the 8am rush

01:56for GP appointments.

01:57Now, the SNP says they're going to do that by creating 100,000 more appointments.

02:02Now, speaking to the SNP and the government officials

02:05sort of behind the scenes here, they are quite happy with this.

02:08They are quite confident that they can reach this.

02:10And then when it comes to the election next year,

02:11it will make them look good.

02:13It'll be a good election winner for them.

02:15However, there have been criticisms in the days

02:16since the programme for government, particularly from the BMA,

02:20who say that there's just not the capacity to offer these appointments.

02:24And the Conservatives are also arguing that what really needs to happen

02:27is there just needs to be more GPs hired to fill up these spaces

02:31as opposed to trying to come up with all these different options there.

02:34So differing opinions as to whether it will work

02:36or whether it won't work.

02:38But in saying that, ending the 8am rush is something

02:40that pretty much everyone can agree on.

02:42Everyone knows it doesn't work well for them.

02:44And so if the SNP are able to achieve that,

02:49it'll make them look good for the next election.

02:50It will be helping them on their way to potentially winning

02:52the election next year.

02:54So, Rachel, there was no hiding the fact

02:57it was 12 months out from the Scottish election on Wednesday.

03:01I think every party leader did a set play

03:03where they gave a speech, took questions, et cetera.

03:07Obviously, John Swinney started using the word independence again

03:11for the first time, it seems, in some time.

03:14Said he felt the party didn't have the right to discuss it last year

03:18but felt that they were back in a position to talk about

03:21what the future of Scotland would look like from an SNP perspective.

03:26I want to get your thoughts, though, on that election war footing,

03:31how it impacted FMQs today and what you think we're going to see

03:35over the coming days and weeks.

03:37I know for quite a while now, it has felt very much

03:39like a campaigning parliament rather than the sort of day-to-day work

03:43that we normally see here in Hollywood

03:45because everyone does have both eyes firmly fixed

03:48on this Scottish Parliament election,

03:49which is now less than a year to go.

03:52This time next year, we will hopefully know the results

03:54as long as there's no big hiccups on the night.

03:57Now, earlier this week, there was a poll,

03:59quite a bombshell poll, to be honest.

04:01It did predict that the SNP will be the largest party in Scotland,

04:05albeit on slightly less numbers than they are now,

04:08so they will fall short of the majority.

04:10But quite interestingly, it suggests that Reform UK

04:12will become the second biggest party,

04:15leapfrogging the Labour Party and the Conservatives

04:17to become the official opposition in Hollywood.

04:20And so I think because of that,

04:21because of the programme for government earlier in the week,

04:24all of the parties are really trying to get some election messaging

04:26into their first minister's questioning today.

04:30And you can see some of that back and forth

04:32about trying to convince voters to back them.

04:35What was quite interesting, though,

04:36is that you could see John Swinney

04:37sort of trying to put a little bit of an attack

04:39onto the Labour Party and onto the Conservatives.

04:41So, for example, saying that the Labour Party

04:44were whinging about certain issues,

04:46particularly around homelessness and housing,

04:48because they hadn't backed the SNP budget.

04:51And right at the very, very end of the first minister's questions as well,

04:55he had branded the Conservatives

04:56as a disgusting organisation as well,

04:58which is quite strong language to be using.

05:01I'm actually quite surprised he wasn't there

05:02from that defence deciding officer for that comment.

05:05But yes, they were very much starting to see

05:06the election campaigning ramping up and up and up,

05:09and we're just going to continue to see that over the next year.

05:11And I think first minister's questions,

05:13whether for good or for bad,

05:14are going to be dominated by that for the next 12 months.

05:18And correct me if I'm wrong,

05:19I think John Swinney did later sort of apologise

05:21for his use of language after wheeling that out as well

05:25without being scolded by the presiding officer.

05:28You talk about that poll, we've got full details.

05:31There's a story on the Scotsman's site.

05:33It is one that will concern Scottish Labour.

05:36However, the one plus for them is they've got 12 months

05:40to fix it effectively and turn the polls around.

05:43But they will be a fascinating watch over coming weeks

05:46and months of how they tackle this slippage in the polls

05:50that's virtually happened ever since Labour won the election

05:54last year and came into power at Westminster.

05:58Rachel, thanks for bringing us up to speed

06:00on everything from the first minister's questions today.

06:04You can read all our latest political coverage at the site.

06:07There's a politics tab in the navigation bar

06:09that will bring you all the latest.

06:11And to read and see the images

06:14from VE Day commemorations across the country,

06:19please pick up a copy of Tomorrow's Scotsman.

06:21Rachel, thanks to you.

06:22Thanks, everyone else, for joining us.

06:23Thanks, everyone.

06:28Thank you very much.

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