And as First Minister of scotland when his party faced the latest in a series of crises. John swinney, welcome to political thinking. Lovely to be with you, thank you. It has been something of a rollercoaster six months, havent it . You retire from Front Line politics, then the First Minister of scotland is forced from office and you decide to come back into Front Line politics, come to your partys rescue. Then Rishi Sunak calls a surprise early election in the summer, then you have a bit of a kick in the general election, the westminster election. Has it all been very stomach churning . Its been absolutely a whirlwind. A whirlwind, i think is the best way to describe it, because i quite literally, in the days before Humza Yousaf resigned as First Minister, was making further plans about what would be my gentle scaling down of political activity. And i was actually on the day that he resigned, giving a reflective speech about 25 years of devolution in scotland down here in london. And
The opportunity to lead to my home well, that has been the most tremendous honour that i did not think was reserved for people who looks like me. Msps then voted in a new snp First Minister, who said he agonised over whether to stand because of his concern for his wife in the Pinkjacket Who has multiple sclerosis. I cannot let this moment pass without making it clear to elizabeth my profound eternal gratitude for the sacrifices she is prepared to make to enable her husband to serve our country as First Minister. As for policy, he named one priority. So, i will be unapologetic about bringing to this parliament the measures we can take to eradicate Child Poverty and i look forward to seeking the support of others to achieve that aim. Words underlined with deeds, Asjohn Swinney crossed as mr swinney crossed the floor to shake the hands of the opposition leaders. So, john swinney insists he wants to get back to the founding principles of this parliament, to the politics of consensus. But t
This programme contains some Strong Language and some discriminatory language. Election night fever, as bbc gets ready to bring you the results of the last big vote before the General Election. Will it be boom time for starmer . Or will it be doom time for sunak . The bbc s Election Programme kicks off in an hours time. You can see just a few of their many live points warming up. With a pick n mix of votes under the count tonight, to discuss them well be joined by the chair of the labour party, a Senior Cabinet Minister and the personification of political analysis, professor sirjohn curtice. Well also talk to the person most likely to be the new First Minister of scotland, john swinney, now that kate forbes has thrown her weight behind him. And with the looming prospect of deportation flights to rwanda, a warning you will hear strong and discriminatory language as a protestor is racially abused attempting to stop Asylum Seekers being moved out of hotels by government contactors. Shout
President biden has condemned the violence and unrest on University Campuses across america during pro palestinian protests. His remarks come as police in los angeles cleared an encampment at the University Of California. After a tense late night standoff, hundreds of riot police fired Rubber Bullets to dismantle barricades surrounding the encampment. Its the latest flashpoint in an eruption of protest over israels war against hamas in gaza. Officers in riot gear descended on the camp less than 2a hours after it was violently attacked. They tore down wooden barriers around the protest and dragged tents and equipment away. The Police Used Tear Gas and some fireworks were thrown by the protesters. This all happened in the very Early Morning in la in a really tense atmosphere. There were loud bangs and thick smoke as police fired flares and stun grenades. Dozens of students have been detained some reportedly injured. Lets ta ke lets take another look at the pictures, live from the ucla ca