13:47

The likely battle lines between SNP and Scotish Tories in advance of next year’s Holyrood election are becoming clearer every week. At this lunchtime’s FMQs (first minister’s questions), interim Tory leader Jackson Carlaw - who launched his leadership campaign last week with proposals to reverse SNP tax rises for high earners - raised a pretty shocking story that was highlighted by the Courier this morning: the roof of a police station in Broughty Ferry collapsing just hours after the justice secretary dismissed concerns about the crumbling police estate as “hyperbole”.

Carlaw condemned “years of missed opportunities from a distracted government”, noting that the FM would be returning to “her favourite topic” next week when she has promised to update parliament on her next steps after Boris Johnson ruled out granting her the legal powers to hold a second independence referendum.

Nicola Sturgeon, the first minister, shot back that it was Carlaw himself who was planning to strip public services, quoting an analysis of his tax proposals which she said proved they would “take £270m out of public services and give it back to the richest”. With the Scottish draft budget due on February 6, we can expect plenty more of this.



