Alyn Smith is a Scottish National Party politician who served as MP for Stirling from 2019 to 2024.
Audit Scotland shows a collective 35.6m deficit for Scotland7s 19 colleges in 2024/25, up from 31.9m. Real-terms funding remains 7.5% below 2021, with more colleges relying on short-term SFC loans. Audits warn reform is overdue while government and agencies act slowly.
The Scottish Legal Aid Board has stopped funding Peter Murrell’s legal defence following new questions about his finances. Murrell, the ex-SNP chief executive and ex-husband of Nicola Sturgeon, has been jailed for five years for embezzling over £400,000. The latest figures show 99,265 legal-aid approvals in 2025/26 with 29 withdrawn, and 1,307 refused.