Welcome to The Courier’s morning politics briefing — everything you need to know about politics in your region and across the country, before you start your day.
Top stories
- Funding to support children with special needs has fallen by more than £1,000 per pupil since 2012, according to Scottish Government figures.
- Jason Leitch has told the public to write the date for the lifting of Covid restrictions “in pencil not sharpie marker”, as he warned about the risks of infections increasing.
- Bosses at the Electoral Commission have offered to help the SNP hold a second independence referendum, despite opposition from the prime minister.
- Matt Hancock has been accused of using a private Gmail account to conduct government business as officials warned of the “optics” of not recording key decisions.
What’s on today
- Sajid Javid is expected to make his first Commons statement since rejoining the UK Cabinet as the successor to health secretary Matt Hancock.
In case you missed it
- Angus Council’s ruling administration is on the verge of collapse after a senior Tory councillor was unmasked as the man behind a “callous and misogynistic” Twitter troll account.
- A north-east MP has written to the Scottish Government urging them to follow NHS England in launching long Covid clinics for children.
- A licensing system for short-term holiday property lets has been opened for public consultation after the SNP Government promised to revise its guidance for the troubled sector.
- A woman has died from cervical cancer and a “small number” have developed the disease after being wrongly excluded from Scotland’s screening programme.