i harassment against ministers in the scottish government?— scottish government?ake _ scottish government? i don't think you can make that _ scottish government? i don't think you can make that argument - scottish government? i don't think you can make that argument if i scottish government? i don't think i you can make that argument if there was... i mean, ithink, legally, what i've been informed is that you can perhaps try that argument pre—2010 when there is no such policy for it would be very difficult to make that argument and make it legal or lawful and it's not a good idea for whole range of reasons to embark on unlawful procedures. indeed, it's a breach of the ministerial code, arguably in terms of what's been put forward. of course, every minister in all their actions in this parliament has to follow, something we've embraced since the start of this parliament. to further questions. given that then and given that a lot of women came forward in the aftermath of me too with historic complaints, you are basically saying they should not be any procedures in p

what we keep hearing, the scottish government had - the scottish government had published all of thered. in between allocation and delivery you have the batch testing and lot release which can actually take several weeks. yet the scottish government and try to remove those figures from their vaccination strategy plan, and what we keep getting is the uk government putting out figures that the scottish government was not allowed to rebut. what they say is they have not received that amount of vaccine into scotland. we don�*t need soldiers vaccinating, there�*s no shortage in any of our health boards of vaccinated years, but scotland is one third of the uk landmass. we are a very rural country and therefore what you have is small vaccination centres and vaccinations happening into care homes, home visits and in gp practices. this is a national emergency. gp practices. this is a national emergency-— gp practices. this is a national emeruen .~ ., emergency. and the fact that you sa , in emergency. and the fact that you say. in the _ emergency. and the fact that you say, in the first _ eme

to think that the rest of the arguments were robust from the scottish government public point of view has been suggested by this committee, is a huge extension and not there advice that i have received and not the government that there —— the advice that the government have received because they kept it under wraps for so long. they kept it under wraps for so lon. _ g ., . ~' they kept it under wraps for so lon,u,' , thank long. jackie baillie, please. thank ou ve long. jackie baillie, please. thank you very much- — long. jackie baillie, please. thank you very much- i _ long. jackie baillie, please. thank you very much. i wonder - long. jackie baillie, please. thank you very much. i wonder whetherl long. jackie baillie, please. thank. you very much. i wonder whether we can move on to talk about the interest on the confidentiality of the complainers and start with an issue raised by myself yesterday in the chamber. this issue arose in the context of one of the meetings held with the former chief of staff, jeff aberdeen, there was a precursor to your meetings with nicola sturgeon. do yo

and the scottish governments one nation. and the scottish governments gone further — nation.cottish governments gone further and said all overseas - gone further and said all overseas travellers arriving in scotland will be required to quarantine in a hotel. world health organization scientist who travelled to china to investigate the origins of the virus say it is extremely unlikely to have emerged from a laboratory. donald trump is on trial again. the first ever impeachment of a former president gets under way and about half an hour�*s time. the government risks turning the clock back on equality for women. . offered during the pandemic have been �*repeatedly skewed towards men,�* that�*s the finding of a group of cross—party mps. the committee chair caroline nokes said the government had "repeatedly failed to consider" caring inequalities faced by women. the report recommends reforms, including making it easierfor staff to get flexible working. alex forsyth has more. i�*v e i�*ve got the brunt of everything, really. trying to earn a living and home—school my son. i really.

the scottish government has done deals with six hotels and has up to 1300 rooms available.— with sixtel companies say _ rooms available. room service. hotel companies say they — rooms available. room service. hotel companies say they are _ rooms available. room service. hotel companies say they are doing - rooms available. room service. hotel companies say they are doing all- companies say they are doing all they can to make and forced quarantine as bearable as possible. we will be calling every guest every day to check if there is anything we can do for them, any concerns they may have. but in addition there is also a welfare call provided by government to check on their mental health and well—being, and they will be dealing with professionals. so, there are two or three calls a day to check on people and make sure they are ok. the to check on people and make sure they are 0k-_ to check on people and make sure the are ok. ., , , , they are ok. the government insists these measures _ they are ok. the government insists these measures are _ they are ok. the government insists these me

the scottish government is facint rapidly. the scottish government is facing sustained _ rapidly.nt is facing sustained criticism over a i facing sustained criticism over a vaccine roll—out that is slower than in other parts of the uk. nicola sturgeon says the number of daily vaccinations is increasing and she wants to see that programme grow and accelerate. the youngest children in scotland should return to some normality soon. strict rules will remain for the rest of the country until at least the start of march. sarah smith, bbc news, glasgow. the time is 6:19pm. our top story this evening. tributes have been paid to captain sir tom moore who has died in hospital at the age of 100 with the coronavirus. and why fears over young shopper�*s debt means a buy now pay later firms will face more scrutiny by regulators. coming up on sportsday on bbc news. fears of the new coronavirus strain in south africa give australia "no choice" but to pull out of the upcoming test series. there are many ways to measure economic success, but almost all of them entail showing some form of growth whe

a tougher response from the scottish government than the government at westminster.stions — or you can email yourquestions@bbc.co.uk it would be good to hear from you. the second impeachment trial of donald trump begins today in the us senate. the former president is charged with "inciting insurrection" in a speech to supporters ahead of the deadly riot at the us capitol just over a month ago. his lawyers say the trial is unconstitutional, and insist he was not responsible. barbara plett usher looks at what we can expect from the trial. shouting for the first time in modern history, america�*s peaceful transfer of power was shaken. the capitol stormed by armed supporters of the president to stop congress from declaring his election defeat. the ragged insurrectionjolted lawmakers into action. members of the lower chamber, including some republicans, charged donald trump with inciting the riots. we fight like hell and if you don't fight like hell, you're not- going to have a country any more. president trump used fiery language that day, his lawyers say he was simply e

he said the scottish government's handling of those complaints was unfair. y 2019 the court of session found in his favour, ruling that the government's process was unfair, unlawful and tainted by apparent bias. how close do these allegations come to nicola sturgeon? she told parliament that she first heard about the complaints against alex salmond at a private meeting with him at her home on april the 2nd, 2018. that meeting was not reported to civil servants and no minute was taken. later, a former aide to mr salmond said he'd told ms sturgeon about the complaints four days earlier, at a meeting she later claimed to have forgotten. alex salmond has already told the inquiry that the first minister's accounts are "manifestly untrue" and that she has repeatedly "misled parliament" and broken the ministerial code. in normal times, breaking that code would trigger a resignation. nicola sturgeon has denied it and said opposition parties were damaging scottish democracy. scrutiny of me is important, it's necessary, it's entirely legitimate. what is not legitimate

a holyrood parliamentary committee is now investigating how the scottish government got it so wrong andannounced that he will not appear as scheduled in front of the committee on wednesday, thatis front of the committee on wednesday, that is because when his written evidence was published, the crown 0ffice, evidence was published, the crown office, the prosecuting service in scotland, raised legal concerns about some of it, so the evidence was taken down and certain paragraphs were removed and the document was then made available again but alex salmond and his lawyers are worried about how that might constrain what he can say in front of the inquiry so they want to take until friday to consider the legal implications. nicola sturgeon is eagerly awaiting her turn to appear in front of the committee, saying she will relish the opportunity to refute what she calls baseless allegations against her. studio: sarah smith, thanks for joining us. the duke of edinburgh, who�*s been in hospital in central london since last tuesday, is not expected to leave for several days according to buckingham

scottish government when i can go to the pub! tip; scottish government has when i can go to the pub!e classroom, as did a small number of senior secondary school pupils for practical lessons. it's already been announced that from march care home residents can have two designated visitors inside, once a week, so long as they've taken all covid precautions. the number of new cases of coronavirus has continued to decline, and fewer people are being admitted to hospital. at the scottish government won't want to ease restrictions to quickly, just in case the virus takes control once again. in case the virus takes control once aaain. ., , , in case the virus takes control once aaain. , ., ., again. the opening will be gradual. i can tell again. the opening will be gradual. i can tell you _ again. the opening will be gradual. i can tell you that _ again. the opening will be gradual. i can tell you that it _ again. the opening will be gradual. i can tell you that it will— again. the opening will be gradual. i can tell you that it will be - i can tell you that it will be staged according to t

in scottish government officials to destroy his reputation and ultimately to have him imprisoned.t. she demanded alex salmond produced evidence of his claims of a conspiracy, saying she didn't think he would be able to do that because his claims are not true. alex and has submitted various documents to the holyrood inquiry but he complains key evidence is being blocked, he says to protect some of the most powerful people in scotland. we will hear more about this later in the week because alex salmond will appear in person to give evidence under oath in front of the holyrood inquiry and then next week we are expecting to hear from nicola sturgeon herself.— week we are expecting to hear from nicola sturgeon herself. sarah, once auain, nicola sturgeon herself. sarah, once again. many — nicola sturgeon herself. sarah, once again, many thanks. _ nicola sturgeon herself. sarah, once again, many thanks. sarah _ nicola sturgeon herself. sarah, once again, many thanks. sarah smith - nicola sturgeon herself. sarah, oncel again, many thanks. sarah smith with the latest for us. more on the ea

a holyrood committee is investigating how the scottish government got it so wrong. appear before the committee if they will not publish evidence he submitted to them. nicola sturgeon says she is looking forward to her turn to give evidence. in looking forward to her turn to give evidence. ., ., ., ., , evidence. in addition to answering ruestions evidence. in addition to answering questions i _ evidence. in addition to answering questions i will _ evidence. in addition to answering questions i will get _ evidence. in addition to answering questions i will get the _ evidence. in addition to answering| questions i will get the opportunity to take head—on some of the ridiculous suggestions that have been made about this whole situation. , been made about this whole situation-— been made about this whole situation. , , ., been made about this whole situation. , , situation. this has become a bitter battle between _ situation. this has become a bitter battle between alex _ situation. this has become a bitter battle between alex salmond - situation. this has become a bitt

a holyrood committee is now investigating how the scottish government got it so wrong.tee if they won�*t publish evidence he�*s submitted to them. nicola sturgeon says she�*s looking forward to her turn to give evidence. in addition to answering any questions, i will perhaps also get the opportunity to take head—on some of the ridiculous suggestions that have been made about this whole situation. this has become a very bitter battle between alex salmond and his successor, nicola sturgeon. he accuses her of misleading parliament and breaching the ministerial code, both of which would be resigning offences. she denies all of that, saying it�*s nothing but a conspiracy of nonsense, but it could be damaging, just three months away from crucial scottish elections. today, the snp chief executive, who�*s also nicola sturgeon�*s husband, appeared in front of the virtual committee for the second time. the whole truth and nothing but the truth. he was accused of lying under oath. mr murrell, you have made an untruthful statement to the committee — it's self evident. i don�*t thin

in scotland, according to a recent f0|a request, the scottish government has done absolutely nothing. funding they receive from the building safety fund is set in a bank account in edinburgh and they have done nothing with it. i would be interested to know from the right honourable lady what the welsh government is doing. i do not know. perhaps she can inform us. the right honourable lady herself came to the slate and it was only a week ago when she convened the first debate on this in her tenure. she did not offer a plan, appreciate the scale and complexity of the issue, but offered a task force. a committee, empty words, i'm afraid, and gestures. that is not good enough. while she was doing that, the prime minister, the chancellor and i were working with the lenders, insurers, the royal institute for chartered surveyors, and the leaseholder groups to bring forward what we have announced today, which i hope all fair—minded members across the house will see as a very significant intervention, which does get unsafe cladding of business story met buildings and end the cladding scandal.

now, the scottish government absolutely deny that there has been any kind of collusion or interferencehis investigation into what went wrong with the government's sexual harassment investigation. they say that these suggestions are coming from opposition political parties who are simply playing politics with this inquiry. but this row is getting bigger, it is getting nastier every day. and remember, it's all happening when we are just a few weeks away from very important elections to the scottish parliament. sarah, many thanks again for bringing us up—to—date there. sarah smith, our scotland editor. police in california say golfer tiger woods was involved in a "serious car accident" and confirm no charges will be brought against him. the 45—year—old is said to be "awake, responsive and recovering" after emergency surgery to mend a shattered ankle and compound leg fractures. police say he's lucky to be alive — and, inevitably, questions are already being asked about the prospect of seeing him play again. 0ur correspondent sophie long reports from los angeles. this is what remains of the

let us end this answer where it we started, according to audit scotland the scottish government and theut speaking at the welsh government's daily briefing — the minister for mental health and wellbeing said lockdown restrictions would only be eased at a time that is "right for wales". she started the briefing by outlining the latest progress with the vaccine. more than 807,000 people have had their first dose, which is the equivalent to almost one in three of the adult population. and we are really starting to make progress now — on second doses, there was a 80% increase in the number of people who had these yesterday. now, turning to children, the latest coronavirus survey gives a really good insight into how children have been coping with the latest lockdown. i want to thank the children's commissioner, children in wales, and the youth parliament for their work on this really detailed set of findings. which will help us to continue to shape our response to the pandemic in a sensitive way. more than 20,000 children and young people took part in this second survey. now, the results sho

two years ago, alex salmond won a legal battle with a scottish government, who had badly mishandled the it investigated complaints about his behaviour. he believes that as the government was facing defeat in court, a plot was hatched to have him arrested for sexual assault before the government had to admit they had acted unlawfully. in my opinion, there has been behaviour which is about not just pressurising the police, like the one you've read out, but pressurising witnesses, collusion with witnesses. we're talking about the construction of evidence, because the police somehow were felt to be inadequate in finding it themselves. during the criminal trial in which mr salmond was acquitted of all sexual assault charges, he did admit to inappropriate behaviour towards women he worked with. of the behaviours that you have admitted to, some of which are appalling, are you sorry? over the last three years there have been two court cases, twojudges and ajury, and i'm resting on the proceedings of these cases. alex salmond's evidence does raise significant questions for nicola sturgeon to ans

the scottish government has already indicated they do not think the uk government goes far enoughin thinke have been suspended — because of fears for the safety of staff working there. the inspections are carried out on goods arriving from the british mainland, under the terms of the brexit deal — but grafitti opposing the checks has appeared in some loyalist areas. chris page is in larne. how worried are the police there? police are in discussions with government agencies and with trade unions to give an assessment of the risk. to put it in context there has been political controversy here over the brexit arrangements for northern ireland and the practical outcomes in larne. since new year there have been checks politically on food arriving from england, scotland and wales because of the part of the brexit deal known as the northern ireland protocol which means northern ireland remains in the eu single market for goods while the rest of the uk has left. unionist politicians in particular are strongly opposed because they see it as being an economic border in the irish sea. yesterday, the

is on record as saying _ scottish government is on record as saying that — scottish government is onowever, times and — saying that many times. however, times and things change and all i'm saying _ times and things change and all i'm saying is— times and things change and all i'm saying is that if you are going to change — saying is that if you are going to change a — saying is that if you are going to change a policy then you can —— should — change a policy then you can —— should consider what the policies, understand it and above all consult with the _ understand it and above all consult with the people who develop that policy _ with the people who develop that policy. now mr penman had no —— wasn't _ policy. now mr penman had no —— wasn't around in 2010 and didn't have _ wasn't around in 2010 and didn't have any— wasn't around in 2010 and didn't have any influence on the policy but there _ have any influence on the policy but there was _ have any influence on the policy but there was an fda representative in decamber— there was an fda representative in december of 2017 who wrote a

- the scottish government's comprehensive _ the scottish government's comprehensive approach i the scottishdo what we need to in order to drive down the spread _ do what we need to in order to drive down the spread of _ do what we need to in order to drive down the spread of the _ do what we need to in order to drive down the spread of the virus, - do what we need to in order to drive down the spread of the virus, to - do what we need to in order to drive down the spread of the virus, to geti down the spread of the virus, to get us att— down the spread of the virus, to get us all to— down the spread of the virus, to get us all to a _ down the spread of the virus, to get us all to a position _ down the spread of the virus, to get us all to a position where _ down the spread of the virus, to get us all to a position where we - down the spread of the virus, to get us all to a position where we can - us all to a position where we can reverse — us all to a position where we can reverse lockdown _ us all to a position where we can reverse lockdown and _ us all to a position where we can reverse l

he is pencilled in for a mammoth session before a committee that is looking into how the scottish governmentg each other of undermining scottish democracy. firstly, we had ruth davidson, who is the scottish tory leader at holyrood, saying that ms sturgeon had tried to cover up what had gone on. a culture of secrets and cover—up that is only growing, and it is all taking place on nicola sturgeon's watch. and there'sjust one further question i want to ask. first minister, is saving your own skin worth all the damage that you are doing? there were similar accusations from the scottish labour party, saying that this had been terribly dealt with by the scottish government and it has seen that something is fundamentally wrong with the way that things were going. the snp completely deny that and they are furious... their political opponents are playing a political game with what is a very serious issue. i have seldom seen nicolas sturgeon so angry as she was in the scottish parliament this afternoon. have a look at nicola sturgeon's response to ruth davidson. scrutiny of me, is, i as i said earlier

scotland's ruling party caught calling for the police to be pressured, the reputation of the scottish government is only growing, and it is all taking place on nicola sturgeon�*s watch. there is one further question i want to ask, first minister, is saving your own skin worth all the damage you are doing? the most important thing to me is the reputation of our country, the integrity of our institutions, and i will always act in a way that protects exactly that. you know, there is a reputation here that is perhaps disintegrating before our eyes and it is not mine, may i say, but ruth davidson has just gone through there a litany of nonsense. she accuses me of deflection, what deflection? she asked me in a previous question about meetings on the 2nd of april and the 29th of march 2018, accumed me of a cover—up, i simply stood there and said how is it a cover—up when i have published the evidence? i have been waiting forfive months to appear before a committee, and i am simply making the point that it used to be possible and as possible in this country to have rigorous, robust debate without a scor

but today the scottish government said the uk's quarantine plans did not go far enough.nd regardless of which country they have come from. here at westminster, the opposition says this is the latest example of ministers bungling their approach to borders and acting too late. there certainly seems to be a long—running debate within the government between some ministers who want the tightest possible restrictions and others fretting about the impact that could have on airlines and the economy. the government says its scientific advisers have not recommended completely closed borders, but the argument around risk isn't settled. ben wright, bbc news, westminster. pupils in scotland will start heading back to the classroom from the end of this month. the first minister nicola sturgeon made the announcement to msps this afternoon. all early years and childcare, as well as pupils in primaries 1 to 3, will return full—time in the week beginning february 22nd. she added that there would be a part—time return for secondary school pupils in s4 to s6, who have to complete practical

the scottish government has done deals with six hotels and has up to 1300 rooms available.e as possible. we will be calling every guest every day to check if there is anything we can do for them, any concerns they may have. but in addition, there is also a welfare call provided by government to check on their mental health and well—being, and they'll be dealing with professionals. so, there are two or three calls a day to check on people and see that they're 0k. the government insists these measures are necessary to prevent potentially dangerous new variants of covid—19 getting a foothold in the uk. but hotel quarantine won'tjust be uncomfortable, it's also costly. an adult will have to pay £1750 for a room, although children will be charged less. peter sweeney's wife went to brazil to visit her sick father. now, he says, she's struggling to get back home. she would have been back earlier but unfortunately, the flights were cancelled due to the travel bans and then we rebooked a few times again, and again cancelled, and now we're in this situation, through no real fault of

a holyrood committee is investigating the mistakes the scottish government made.ys, more traumatic than the experience of the high court trial. more traumatic? i think so, because you actually now have, what was a glimmer of hope in the committee, thinking that they could be impartial, instead, what has happened is they have taken your very personal experiences and they have exploited them for their own self—serving political interests. it was obviously a big decision for you to make a complaint. do you think that women are more or less likely to do that now than they were before all of this? much less likely. i think that this has made it much harderfor women to be believed, and for women to be able to come forward. the committee convener�*s offered a personal apology for any hurt the inquiry has caused and the hope that it will lead to better protection for women. what started with complaints about alex salmond is now heavily focused on how his successor as first minister, nicola sturgeon, and her administration mishandled those original complaints. the inquiry

and actually we will get a framework from the scottish government next week that will lay out how scotlandto contain any specific dates. instead, it will lay out the conditions that will need to be met before any further restrictions can before any further restrictions can be lifted. in the meantime, we have all been warned not to put any easter holidays. the first minister says that by the time the summer comes around, staycations might be possible but she is advising people not to put any trips abroad. and if you remember the first lockdown, the scottish government approach was very slow, gradual and cautious when it came to lifting restrictions, often they were lifted several weeks after that they had been in england and it looks like we will exit lockdown this time in very much the same way, with a very slow and cautious approach because nicola sturgeon says the situation, despite the vaccination programme, is still very fragile and it's clear she did not want to take any risks with this. a , not want to take any risks with this. a, , . not want to take any risks with this. , ., ., the

what i will say is this, scrutiny of me and the scottish government, because the scottish government,acy theory. that risks undermining the integrity and the well—deserved reputation of scotland's independentjustice system. and political debate is right and proper, politics is not, should not be for the faint—hearted, but i think all of us actually have a duty to conduct those debates any way that doesn't unfairly trashed the reputation of people who are doing theirjobs, chewing them independently of government. applause providing officer, here's why all the reduction part of alex salmond's evidence are important, because they are exactly the part that expose refreshments. 0n the bbc twice she claimed not to know anything of sexual misconduct claims before april, and three september she told parliament she found out from salmond himself that month —— three separate times. she has been desperate to shut down everything from the secret meeting the month before because it wrecks her whole argument and confirmed she misled parliament. the truth is, she knew about those allegations before

two years ago, alex salmond won a legal battle with a scottish government, who had badly mishandled theplaints about his behaviour. he believes as the government was facing defeat in court, a plot was hatched to have him arrested for sexual assault before the government had to admit that they had acted unlawfully. in had to admit that they had acted unlawfull . , ., , ., ., , unlawfully. in my opinion, there has been behaviour— unlawfully. in my opinion, there has been behaviour which _ unlawfully. in my opinion, there has been behaviour which is _ unlawfully. in my opinion, there has been behaviour which is about - unlawfully. in my opinion, there has been behaviour which is about not i been behaviour which is about not just pressurising the police, like the one you have read out, but pressurising witnesses, collusion with witnesses, we are talking about the construction of evidence, because the police somehow are felt to be inadequate.— to be inadequate. during a criminal trial in which _ to be inadequate. during a criminal trial in which alex _ to be inadequate. during a criminal tri

lawyers _ interest, the scottish government lawyers in — interest, the scottish government lawyers inst asked me. committee, including on the topic that you havejust asked me. and in addition to answering any and all questions, i also get the opportunity to take out on some of the ridiculous suggestion set a been made about this whole situation. suggestions that i know have caused any people a great deal of distress. so that is all i'm going to say about it right now, i look forward for sitting before the committee, but this is a covid briefing and it's important that i do myjob, which is to steer this country is a place i can through the pandemic. do you have a covid question?— you have a covid question? actually, it is a question _ you have a covid question? actually, it is a question about _ you have a covid question? actually, it is a question about integrity, i it is a question about integrity, and integrity as of the heart of everything, including covid. and we say that— everything, including covid. and we say that you refute that, do you refute _ say that you refute that, do yo

giving his long awaited evidence at a scottish parliamentary inquiry, he accused the government of acting illegally during an investigation into claims against him of sexual harassment. scotland hasn't failed, its leadership has failed. so the importance of this inquiry is for each and every one of us to help put this right. alex salmond said he believes nicola sturgeon has misled parliament and broken the ministerial code, which he thinks means she should resign. we'll be asking how much damage this bitterfeud is having on scotland's leadership. also tonight... age and not occupation will continue to lead the vaccination programme, with the over 40s next in line for the covid jab. the supreme court rules that shamima begum, who left london as a teenager to join the islamic state group, cannot return to the uk to challenge its decision to remove her british citizenship. a group of gymnasts is starting legal action against the governing body, british gymnastics, over alleged physical and psychological abuse. it's the first time i've been on an open tour bus. is it really?! yeah. no! i'm no

we have pressed the scottish government on the fact that if they want to see schools reopen as fullyte? it will not im act on monday, that's too late? it will not impact on the _ monday, that's too late? it will not impact on the first _ monday, that's too late? it will not impact on the first phase _ monday, that's too late? it will not impact on the first phase of- impact on the first phase of reopening, which is why we are going for these additional mitigations to be in place. also, very close monitoring of the impact of phase reopening, the scottish government is committed to that in the statement today and teachers will need a lot of reassurance that, not only the school buildings themselves are a safe but that this isn�*t going to trigger a wider level of community infection instances. because we have made improvements around suppressing the virus but test positivity is still above the figure recommended as indicating that the virus is under control, so the nervousness will be there and although there is support for face—to—face teaching, i think that is understandable. you fac

two years ago, alex salmond won a legal battle with a scottish government, who had badly mishandled theent was facing defeat in court, a plot was hatched to have him arrested for sexual assault before the government had to admit that they had acted unlawfully. in my opinion, there has been behaviour which is about not just pressurising the police, like the one you have read out, but pressurising witnesses, collusion with witnesses. we are talking about the construction of evidence, because the police somehow are felt to be inadequate. infinding it in finding it themselves. during a criminal trial in which alex salmond was acquitted of all sexual assault charges, he did admit to inappropriate behaviour towards women he worked with. of the behaviours you have admitted to, some of which are appalling, are you sorry? over the last three years, there have been two court cases, two judges and a jury, and i am resting on the proceedings of these cases. alex salmond's evidence does raise significant questions for nicola sturgeon to answer. tonight, her spokesperson said that he had failed to pr

msps are currently investigating how the scottish government handled harassment complaints against thed to be edited. 0ur political correspondent nick eardley is at holyrood. difficult to make sense of what exactly is going on.— difficult to make sense of what exactly is going on. alex salmond was sunposed _ exactly is going on. alex salmond was sunposed to _ exactly is going on. alex salmond was supposed to be _ exactly is going on. alex salmond was supposed to be appearing i exactly is going on. alex salmond i was supposed to be appearing before msps right now and at that hearing he was expected to sate nicola sturgeon broke the ministerial code and that he believes there was a malicious campaign involving people around her to get him. she denies that completely. but alex salmond is not here because he pulled out, his evidence which had been published by the scottish parliament, parts of it were taken down because the crown 0ffice were taken down because the crown office which is the prosecution body in scotland, said it could be in contempt of court that caused a furious row and big

at the heart of the row is an inquiry into the scottish government's handling of harassment claims madend's written evidence to the inquiry was removed from the scottish parliament's website, before being amended and republished. let's talk to our scotland editor sarah smith. why was the document removed? well, after alex salmond submitted his statement, which is his version of what happened when he was investigated over these complaints of sexual harassment and that was published last night, the crown office, the prosecution service in scotland, got in touch with the parliament and said they had grave concerns over some aspects of the evidence for legal reasons, so this morning it was taken down uncertain paragraphs were removed and it has now been made available again. as a result, we now simply do not know whether alex salmond will turn up to give evidence in front of a holyrood enquiry as he is scheduled to do tomorrow. his lawyers have warned that he could be in legaljeopardy if he turns up in front of that committee to discuss his evidence. alex salmond does want to tell his side

next week, we will get the framework from the scottish government about how to exit lockdown, but that met before restrictions can be eased. in the meantime, we've been warned not to book easter holidays. nicola sturgeon said that by the time summer came around, holidays at home might be possible, and she will continue to take the same kind of tentative, cautious approach that she took in the first lockdown, and we will see the same thing as we try to exit this one this year. the radio two presenter jo whiley says she is living "a nightmare" after her 53—year—old sister, who has learning disabilities and diabetes, tested positive for coronavirus after an outbreak in her care home. jo whiley revealed that she has been offered a vaccine before her younger sister, frances. and she said she wanted to speak up for the people who've been overlooked. she's been speaking to our disability correspondent, nikki fox. it doesn't make sense to me why i would get the vaccine, and my sister who has learning disabilities, who has diabetes, is vulnerable and would not get the vaccine. what would not ge

scottish government conspired to try to send him to prison.— to send him to prison. 0k, nick, thank your— to send him to prison. 0k, nick, thank you for that. _ to send him to prison. 0k, nick, thank you for that. nick - to send him to prison. 0k, nick, thank you for that. nick eardleyl to send him to prison. 0k, nick, i thank you for that. nick eardley at holyrood. and you can watch the whole of alex salmond's evidence to the holyrood inquiry. that's here on the bbc news channel. it's expected to start after about 12:30 this lunchtime. the headlines on bbc news. health leaders have welcomed the queen's comments urging the public to "think about other people" and get a covid jab when they are offered one. alex salmond will be questioned by members of the scottish parliament today. the former scottish first minister claims there was a conspiracy against him over sexual harassment claims. and the supreme court will today rule on whether runaway schoolgirl shamima begum can return to the uk to appeal against the removal of her british citizenship. prince harry has said the british press wa

there is a committee in the scottish parliament which is looking into how the scottish government dealtack apparent bias. that committee has regularly found himself struggling to get documents it wants and there was an army backed almighty fight yesterday when the crown office richard scott and's prosecution service asked the parliament to unpublished parts of his evidence. the argument the crown of a sneyd was part of the evidence could be in contempt of court. it was an offence that them up on the website. there are many people disputing back on the other argument we heard today from the first minister's questions was that the part of the evidence which had been taken down are some of the most damaging for nicola sturgeon. the accusation that she brought the ministerial card. she accuses her opponent of what she calls the scorched earth policy. this is an over the next few days it's only going to get more intense. he will hearfrom him and i am told that session could last up to four hours. so get the coffee in. stay with us on outside source — still to come: after australia passed a l

from the minute is available to the committee, which goes right back to the origins of the scottish governmentscious of what you've said. you are here as a key witness, — what you've said. you are here as a key witness, having been the first minister— key witness, having been the first minister from 2008—2014, and in the judicial— minister from 2008—2014, and in the judicial review which was found, as he said. _ judicial review which was found, as he said. to — judicial review which was found, as he said, to be unlawful. and you also _ he said, to be unlawful. and you also mentioned the frustration that this parliamentary committee, as an inquiry— this parliamentary committee, as an inquiry committee, has experienced sometimes — inquiry committee, has experienced sometimes downright refusal and other— sometimes downright refusal and other times providing material, which _ other times providing material, which way— other times providing material, which way back when we met in private — which way back when we met in private which would be to establish our remit, — private which would be to estab

i am not in the scottish government but i have| the scottish government but i have heard the first ministern saysis what the world health organization says is under control, as soon as we see some headroom than the priority for us will be with schools and young people. it has to be the case that we address that first. that will necessarily mean that other things, vitally important areas that want restrictions lifted, will have to come after that. there is not a time scale put on that, it will depend on the progress in driving down prevalence rates. that is also related to vaccination. as we see the pincer movement of the vaccination and lockdown having an impact, other places can open up. first in line will be schools. thanks for being on bbc news. we arejust we are just awaiting the latest coronavirus briefing from downing street and the prime minister, we will be hearing from him shortly after five o'clock, we are told. so why don't we in the meantime talk to nick triggle, our health correspondent. let's talk first of all about the vaccine, the oxford astrazeneca vaccine, it has come in f

to spread the cost over 12 monthly payments, but i couldn't see any mention of that on the scottish governmentto do? we are stillt in: and your wife going to do? we are still trying to _ and your wife going to do? we are still trying to plan _ and your wife going to do? we are still trying to plan that, _ and your wife going to do? we are still trying to plan that, in - and your wife going to do? we are still trying to plan that, in all i still trying to plan that, in all honesty. as you said, there is not much guidance on the scottish government website. i have reached out to michael matheson, via e—mail and twitter, and had no real response. i have reached out to some local msps as well and not really had anything back. so, a little bit in limbojust had anything back. so, a little bit in limbo just now had anything back. so, a little bit in limbojust now in all had anything back. so, a little bit in limbo just now in all honesty, trying to get some answers and some clarity. trying to get some answers and some clari . , , , clarity. does this 'eopardise her cominu clarity. does this 'eopardis

will relish the opportunity to refute what she calls alex salmond's baseless accusations. the scottish governmentwith these suggestions there has been any government interference in this process. but one thing is for sure, this route is getting bigger and nastier, and there are just weeks until the scottish elections. dashed this row. now it's time for a look at the weather with chris fawkes. hello again. it's a been a pretty mild day in scotland and northern ireland, but we've had some extreme heat, really, for the time of year across eastern areas of england in particular, with the air coming up from north africa and spain — that's why we had the high temperatures ahead of this weather front. and into suffolk, we have temperatures as high as 18 celsius — that's about ten degrees above average this time of year. temperatures like 18, we would more often see during the latter part of may and earlyjune, so it has been really unusual to see temperatures quite that high. 0vernight tonight, that slightly less toasty air will be moving its way across the uk behind this stripe of cloud, which is a cold

hold the government to account and whether this undermines confidence in the very structures of democracy in scotland. the scottishalmond's written evidence has been removed from public view. he totally denies any political interference. the crown has, as i said, a moment ago, no interest in interfering with or limiting the conduct of proceedings in this parliament. the bitter feud between these two former friends has seen nicola sturgeon accused of lying as well as accusations that are government is interfering with the holyrood inquiry. any suggestion at all that these decisions are in any way politically influenced are downright wrong, but i would suggest and go further than that and say that they actually start to buy into what is a false and quite dangerous conspiracy theory that has no basis in fact. nicola sturgeon is scheduled to appear in front of the salmond inquiry next week, but she says she will relish the opportunity to speaker refer to the baseless allegations. a government spokesman told me that he thinks that they are just playing politics. 0ne he thinks that they are just playing politics. one th

session before a committee thatis mammoth session before a committee that is looking into how the scottish government that you are doing? there were similar accusations from the scottish labour party, saying that this had been terribly dealt with by the scottish government and it has seen that something is fundamentally wrong with the way that things were going. the snp completely deny that and they are furious... inaudible their political opponents are playing a political game with what is a very serious issue. i have seldom seen nicolas sturgeon so angry as she was in the scottish parliament this afternoon. have a look at nicola sturgeon's response to ruth davidson. scrutiny of me, is, as i said earlier, it's important, it's necessary, it's entirely legitimate. what is not legitimate is to pursue a conspiracy theory, a scorched earth policy, that threatens the reputation and the integrity of scotland's independentjustice institutions, just because you happen to dislike this government, and to sacrifice all of that, if i may say so, presiding officer, on the altar of the ego of one man. no prizes fo

. >> well, it is a huge problem because as youay there is this glaring loophole in the scottish government'srying to quarantine anybody coming in from any foreign country. there are discussions on going with the u.k. government about this, because there is this way out. if you fly directly into scotland, you go straight to a quarantine hotel. if you fly into england and traveled to scotland, then you're expected to self-isolate at home for 10 days and take two tests. but that is much cheaper than staying in hotel. it is much harder for the authorities to enforce. it would be so much better and so much easier if the rules were the same. in all four nations of the united kingdom. the way to achieve that she thinks is for boris johnson to adopt her policy of quarantine for travelers coming from any foreign country, not just those on the red list. there is one her option, and that would be if the u.k. government would enforce quaranne for people coming into english airports through heathrow or wherever. make them qrantine regardless of what foreign country they have come from if it is their inte

next week, we will get a framework from the scottish government about how to ex lockdown, and that iskely to contain any hard and fast dates. that it will describe conditions that have to be met. in the meaime, we have been warned not to book any easter holidays. by the time the summer comes around, vacation's might be possible. she will continue to take the same kind of tentative cautious approach that she took in the first lockdown. ♪ katty: the wild winter weather that has been hammering the southern united states is just shocking. once in a generation and it is deadly. at least 11 people have lost their lives after freezing and snow. more than 150 million americans are now under winter storm warnings, and officials have declared a state of emergency in texas. reporter: the winter weather in texas started out as fun. >> carbon out. freezingy reporter: katty: reporter: to zero fahrenheit. that is -17 celsius. power supplies have failed, leaving over 4 million people without electricity. this man's house froze up, forcing him to drive 30 miles to houston to find a hotel for him and h

but the calculation will be on the scottish government's website 2pm today.irst doses to all 70—79 —year—olds and those with a serious clinical vulnerability by the 15th of february. after that, subject to supply, we intend to give first doses of the vaccine to all 65-69 first doses of the vaccine to all 65—69 year old by the end of february and beginning of march. and we continue to plan for everyone over the age of 50 to have received their first dose in may. however, over the age of 50 to have received theirfirst dose in may. however, i have to emphasise again of course that all of this is subject to supply. the uptake we've seen so far has been both remarkable and very welcome. but as the first minister indicated yesterday, a combination of circumstances, remarkably high uptake, a temporary reduction in supply from pfizer and the need to ensure people who receive —— that can receive second doses on time means we need to reduce the number of appointments we schedule over the next few weeks. as soon as supply improves, our programme will scale up improves,

a shocking figure that should make this government ashamed. the scottish national party has called for -- and by extending benefits. the tory government has been stalling this for months. well-defined minister -- prime minister -- will the prime minister finally at? >> i think the whole house should be proud of the way we tried to look after people. the poorest and neediest families throughout the country, not just with universal credit which the party opposite would actually abolish but by helping vulnerable people with their heating bills. a great scheme. -- grant scheme. looking after people with the preschool meal vouchers. >> i have to say, mr. speaker, that was pathetic. that was no answer. we are talking about 1.3 million children under five in poverty. let me quote. she cried on the doorstep because i gave her a winter coat for a child. i went away with a lump in my throat. these are the words of emily. a worker supporting families the tories have pushed into poverty. they don't need more empty words from a prime minister. this morning a citizen of

one majorfail was in 2019, when alex salmond won a legal battle with the scottish government over howvernment wasted, many people watching this will find it surprising that anyone is seriously arguing that the judicial review in the full public court was worth the public expenditure that the government wasted upon it. during the criminal trial last year, in which mr salmond was acquitted of all sexual assault charges, he did admit to inappropriate behaviour towards women he worked with. of the behaviours you have admitted to, some of which are appalling, are you sorry? over the last three years, there have been two court cases, two judges and a jury and i'm resting on the proceedings of these cases. nicola sturgeon originally told parliament that the version you have complaints against alex salmond was on the 2nd of april, when he told her about it at a meeting at her home. she later had to admit she had forgotten about a meeting on the 29th of march with samolnds chief of staff in which he says the complaints were discussed. mr salmond says she is lying and he thinks he knows why. if