The now-cancelled CAA event had been arranged after the organisation’s founder, Gideon Falter, was threatened with arrest at a pro-Palestinian demonstration earlier this month, with one officer describing Mr Falter, who was wearing a kippah, as “openly Jewish”.
For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails
Sign up to our free breaking news emails
Humza Yousaf’s former leadership rival Kate Forbes has urged colleagues to back him in the upcoming votes of no confidence, as the First Minister fights for his political future.
With two no confidence votes looming next week, the First Minister has said he is not resigning and is writing to other parties in the Scottish Parliament – inviting them to talks to find a way forward.
Mr Yousaf terminated the powersharing deal between the SNP and Scottish Greens on Thursday, leading to the smaller pro-independence party to turn against him.
Another SNP MSP who has previously rebelled from the party whip in votes at Holyrood, Ivan McKee, also said the party is uniting behind Mr Yousaf.
Ms Forbes, who came second in the race to succeed Nicola Sturgeon last year, said recent events had been “an embarrassment for every parliamentarian in every party”.
Writing in The National, Ms Forbes said: “It is easy to be loyal to a party when times are good and the party is ahead in the polls.
“But you find out what real leadership is – and what real loyalty looks like – when times are tougher and that is why I will back the SNP and the First Minister through next week’s fight and I urge everyone in our party and everyone who cares about Scotland to do the same.”
Former SNP minister Mr McKee was asked if Mr Yousaf would resign if he lost the confidence vote.
He told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland radio programme: “I don’t think there’s any doubt about that.
“The vote of confidence, while not legally binding would be a clear indication of the will of the parliament.
“And if you lose a vote of no confidence then clearly you don’t have the confidence of the parliament.
“But I think, as I said, the First Minister’s using his political skills to negotiate to make sure that he doesn’t lose that (vote)”.
He said the First Minister is confident he can do a deal to win the vote, saying: “At the moment everybody in the SNP is focused on making sure we win that vote of no confidence.”
Both Ms Forbes and Mr McKee had previously voiced doubts about the Bute House Agreement, which brought the Greens into the Scottish Government in 2021.
Amid the tight parliamentary arithmetic at Holyrood, the vote of Alba Party Holyrood leader – and former SNP MSP – Ash Regan could be crucial to Mr Yousaf’s political survival.
She is one of the political leaders Mr Yousaf will be writing to ahead of the confidence votes in Holyrood.
In a BBC interview on Friday, Ms Regan said she had not spoken to Mr Yousaf since the leadership contest last year. She said she is still considering how to cast her vote.
She said: “I think that potentially some of the things he said about me when I left to go to a different political party last year probably shows that it’s always wise to have that level of professional courtesy to people that you work with.”
In October last year, Mr Yousaf said Ms Regan’s defection to Alba was “no great loss”.
On Friday, Mr Yousaf was adamant he would win the confidence votes but said he would not rule out an early Holyrood election.
He told the PA news agency: “When the vote comes I fully intend to win.”
Scottish Green co-leader Patrick Harvie has said it is “pretty clear” Mr Yousaf will not be able to unite Holyrood – urging the SNP to consider finding a replacement for him.
Campaigners have already called for the law, and other sweeping asylum reforms introduced by the government, to be repealed – warning they could cause a “system meltdown” costing the taxpayer billions of pounds.
However, plans are being pushed ahead, with the Home Office reportedly advertising for people in the asylum decision-making team in the UK to move overseas.
The move to Kigali is set to be as early as next month in order to offer assistance to Rwandan officials dealing with asylum claims, the i reported.
The move to Kigali is set to be as early as next month (PA)
The paper added that civil servants were being recruited prior to the bill being passed on Monday night as one source told them that the application process was “rushed” with just one week to apply.
Staff are to be posted in Rwanda for weeks at a time on a rota basis.
It is unclear how many members of staff will be transferred but the i reported that up to four team leaders, decision-makers, technical support officers and policy workers will be sent.
Despite major pushback, the prime minister has staked his reputation on his pledge to “stop the boats”.
He has described the Rwanda plan as an “indispensable deterrent”, despite it being plagued by a series of setbacks since the deal was signed two years ago.
Rishi Sunak has made stopping the boats a key pledge (PA Wire)
The law declares Rwanda is a safe country and seeks to ensure the scheme – ruled unlawful by the Supreme Court – is legally watertight.
Officials are now working to put the plan into action, with Mr Sunak suggesting the first plane carrying asylum seekers could depart in July.
It has sparked criticism from international leaders including French president Emmanuel Macron, who denounced Mr Sunak’s deportation plan as the politics of “cynicism” and a betrayal of European values.
Mr Macron also warned it would be “ineffective”, just days after the scheme – designed to give thousands a one-way ticket to the African country – was approved.
Fran Heathcote, general secretary of the PCS union which represents civil servants, said: “This chaotic implementation of a chaotic policy is symptomatic of a chaotic government.
“We were not consulted about our members being expected to go to Rwanda to work. We’ll be raising issues with the Home Office about our members’ welfare if they travel to Rwanda, where they’ll be living, how they’re managed, who’s managing them, which jurisdiction do they come under – the UK or Rwanda?”
Wales school stabbing: Victims’ injuries ‘not life threatening’, police say
Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world
Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email
A 13-year-old girl has been charged with three counts of attempted murder, after two teachers and a pupil were stabbed at a secondary school in Wales.
The three people injured in the attack at Amman Valley School in Carmarthenshire on Wednesday morning have now left hospital, where they were treated for knife wounds.
Two air ambulances were sent to the school, also known as Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, as emergency services swarmed the scene.
Parents waited for several hours at the gates of the school, which was “in lockdown”, before tearfully being reunited with their children as the school day ended.
The teachers injured are reported to be Fiona Elias, the deputy head, and Liz Hopkin, a special-needs teacher. In a statement on the school website, headteacher James Durbridge praised staff and pupils for their “calm and mature response” to the lockdown.
Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price – a former pupil at the school – described it as a “centre point for the whole community” and said pupils and families have been “shocked and shaken”.
Council leader ‘humbled’ by determination to get pupils back to classrooms
The leader of the local Camarthenshire County Council has said he was “humbled by the strength, resolve and determination by all involved to see our children return to their classrooms as soon as it is safe to do so”.
Councillor Darren Price said: “On behalf of Carmarthenshire County Council, I would like to express our relief that the three injured individuals have been discharged from hospital and we wish them a speedy recovery.
“Yesterday’s incident came as a great shock to everyone and I would like to recognise the excellent response of the staff and pupils at the school, council staff and all emergency services involved.
“I am humbled by the strength, resolve and determination by all involved to see our children return to their classrooms as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Amman Valley school ‘a centre point for the whole community'
Plaid Cymru’s Adam Price – a former pupil at Amman Valley School – described the school as a “centre point for the whole community” and said pupils and families have been “shocked and shaken”.
A bilingual comprehensive school for pupils aged between 11 and 18, Amman Valley provides education to 1,450 school pupils, in addition to 270 sixth form students.
Questions about school safety in Wales will be asked in Senedd, politician says
Cefin Campbell, the Senedd member for Mid and West Wales, said there would be questions asked in the Welsh parliament about security in schools across Wales.
“Let’s hope it’s a one off, but you just don’t know the way the society has changed. We have to ask questions about the way we move forward,” he told BBC Radio Wales.
“We certainly don’t want to go down the route of America but there are parts of the UK where bags are checked every day, there’s metal detectors, as well as random checks by police.
“None of us want to go down that road but we’ve just obviously got to ask questions. What lessons can we learn from this?”
The south-west Wales school went into lockdown after a “code red” alarm sounded through the PA system, during which students and staff are said to have hidden in classrooms - with one pupil reportedly vaulting the school fence to get to safety.
The lockdown lasted around four hours between 11.20am and 3.20pm, resulting in a lengthy and anxious wait for parents who were seen tearfully hugging their children after they walked through the gates.
Police at Amman Valley school, in Ammanford (Ben Birchall/PA) (PA Wire)
The 13-year-old girl charged with attempted murder after two teachers and a pupil were stabbed at a school in south Wales will appear at court on Friday, the Crown Prosecution Service has said.
Michael Cray, senior Crown prosecutor at CPS Cymru-Wales, said: “A youth who cannot be named for legal reasons has been charged with three counts of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article on a school premises.
“The youth has been remanded in custody to appear before Llanelli Magistrates’ Court tomorrow on Friday April 26 .
“Criminal proceedings are active and the defendant has the right to a fair trial.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
Police chief thanks emergency services for ‘swift’ response
Speaking outside Amman Valley School on Thursday evening, Superintendent Evans thanked medics for their “swift response” in helping victims involved in the incident.
He said: “I would once again like to thank our colleagues at the Welsh Ambulance Service and Wales Air Ambulance Service for their swift response to this incident.
“As well as the NHS staff who treated those who were injured, the charitable organisations who are supporting those affected by this incident and the vigilant members of the public who reported their concerns to us.”
Full report: Teenage girl charged with attempted murder
A teenage girl has been charged with three counts of attempted murder after three people were stabbed at Amman Valley School in Carmarthenshire.
A 15-year-old boy has also been arrested and remains in police custody on suspicion of making threats referencing the stabbing incident at Amman Valley, Dyded-Powys Police said in a statement outside the school on Thursday evening.
You can refresh our breaking report below for updates:
Scotland's First Minister Humza Yousaf has cancelled a planned speech as he battles for his political life.
The event at Strathclyde University in Glasgow, where the SNP leader was also due to take part in a question and answer session and be quizzed by the press, was scratched with just a few hours notice.
The move will fuel speculation over his future, particularly as colleagues insisted Mr Yousaf would "come out fighting" after former allies in government, the Scottish Greens, said they would join the other opposition parties in a vote of no confidence in his leadership next week.
Source close to the first minister have said he will not resign and would later make a "major announcement on housing".
Ramping up the pressure at Holyrood, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is separately to lay motion of no confidence in the Scottish government, which carries more far-reaching implications, including the threat of an election.
The ditching of the deal means the SNP will now operate as a minority administration at Holyrood.
The Greens joining forces with the other opposition parties, means Mr Yousaf faces a knife-edge vote that ranges 64 out of 128 MSPs against him.
Advertisement
The SNP have 63 MSPs at Holyrood while there is also Ash Regan, a former SNP minister who defected to Alex Salmond's Alba Party, who has not yet confirmed which way she will vote.
Her support could prove crucial in getting the embattled first minister over the line.
In the light of her pivotal role, Ms Regan has written to Mr Yousaf to argue that Scotland "deserves and demands a reset".
She said her priorities were Scottish independence, "the dignity, safety and rights of women and children" and providing competent government.
She also said her "door is open" to discuss proposed legislation on holding a referendum on whether the Scottish parliament should have the powers to hold another independence vote.
Any no-confidence vote in Mr Yousaf is likely to take place next week, with timings to be confirmed by parliamentary authorities.
Although non-binding, losing the ballot could make his position untenable.
Of greater significance would be a vote of no-confidence in the government, which would force both the first minister and his ministers to resign.
In that case, parliament would have 28 days to choose a new first minister by a simple majority, but if it failed to do so would be dissolved.
A Moroccan migrant who had been in the asylum system for more than three years has been found guilty of murdering a pensioner in Hartlepool in “revenge” for Israel’s actions in Gaza.
Ahmed Alid, 45, stabbed 70-year-old Terence Carney to death in the streetin a random attack just days after the Oct 7 Hamas terror attacks.
Minutes earlier, he had stabbed and wounded Javed Nouri, a housemate and fellow asylum seeker, shouting “Allahu Akbar” as he repeatedly knifed the Christian convert.
Alid, a devout Muslim, was born in Fez and raised in Algeria. He came to Britain in 2020 after spending more than a decade drifting through Europe.
Germany had already turned down an asylum bid, but he made a fresh application in the UK, claiming he would face persecution if he returned home.
But more than three years after lodging his bid with the Home Office, Alid’s claim had still not been settled when he launched his attack. Questions have been raised about both the validity of his asylum claim and the length of time it had taken to process.
The knife used by Ahmed Alid
Credit: Counter Terror Police/PA
Jill Mortimer, the Conservative MP for Hartlepool, said: “This shocking murder has shaken the entire town. The question of course remains, though, why this dangerous individual was here. Now the trial is over I will be seeking answers to ensure this doesn’t happen again on our streets.”
A Home Office spokesman refused to discuss Alid’s case or explain why his application had not been resolved, saying: “It is a long-standing Government policy that we do not comment on individual cases.”
In December 2022, Rishi Sunak promised to tackle the asylum backlog, which included almost 100,000 cases that were awaiting an initial decision, as part of his pledge to stop the boats.
In January this year the Home Office claimed victory, saying the commitment to clear the legacy asylum backlog had been achieved, with 112,000 cases processed in 2023.
However, doubts were raised over the Government’s claims when officials admitted 4,500 of the cases had been reviewed but not yet decided, claiming it was “impossible” to do so within the timescale.
Alid claimed he had left North Africa for Spain in 2007 and spent years travelling around Europe, living in France, Italy, Germany, Scandinavia, Austria and the Netherlands.
He had been jailed in Germany for not having a valid visa or passport before being kicked out of the country, and travelled to Britain from Holland by ferry in 2020.
After applying for asylum he was placed in Home Office-approved accommodation in Hartlepool, where he regularly clashed with the other tenants over trivial matters.
‘Laughing at Hamas attacks’
But his housemates reported a concerning and sinister change in his behaviour following the Oct 7 attacks in Israel.
Mr Nouri, who survived the knife attack on him, later told police how Alid hadrevelled in the horrors committed by Hamas, saying: “He was sitting on the kitchen chair and checking the news on his mobile phone. He was laughing, and every time they would kill somebody he would praise God.”
Two days later, Mr Nouri attended Hartlepool police station to alert police to his concerns, making an appointment to speak with an officer the following week.
He met officers, along with a translator, on Oct 13 and warned them about Alid’s behaviour, mentioning that he had been carrying a knife in the kitchen of the house. But as no specific threats were reported at that time, the housing manager agreed to talk to Alid and warn him that he would be evicted if there was any repeat.
The role of Cleveland Police was investigated by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, who cleared the force of any wrongdoing. A spokesman for the IOPC said: “Based on the evidence we considered, we found the Cleveland Police officers and staff involved acted appropriately in the circumstances.”
The trial heard that on Oct 15, Alid broke into the bedroom of his housemate and attacked him while he slept. He then ran out into the street and, after coming across Mr Carney, who was on an early morning walk, repeatedly stabbed him.
Wharton Terrace, in Hartlepool, where Ahmed Alid attacked Mr Nouri
Credit: PA
Following his arrest, and while in a holding cell at Middlesbrough police station, Alid launched into a speech in Arabic saying that “Allah willing, Gaza would return to be an Arab country”.
During a subsequent police interview, he told officers he had launched his attack because “Israel had killed innocent children”.
Alid admitted Mr Carney had been “innocent”, but justified the attack by saying Britain had created the “Zionist entity” of Israel and should make them leave Gaza, adding: “They killed children and I killed an old man.”
In a statement, Mr Carney’s family said: “We would not want anyone else to have to go through what we have had to go through over the last six months, and what we will continue to go through for the rest of our lives. For us, things will never be the same again.
“We have watched the whole trial intently, and whilst today’s guilty verdict will not bring back Terence, our beloved husband, father, and grandfather, we can take some small comfort in knowing that justice has been served.”
After the trial, Detective Chief Superintendent James Dunkerley, the head of Counter Terrorism Policing North-East, said: “The horrific attacks in Hartlepool were unprovoked and deeply disturbing.
“I have no doubt that the swift response of the attending officers prevented further harm or loss of life that morning. We’re grateful for their bravery in the face of a dangerous and unpredictable suspect.”
The Scottish Green Party will join with rival MSPs to back a no-confidence motion in First Minister Humza Yousaf next week, after the SNP kicked its coalition partners out of government.
And soon after, the Scottish Conservatives announced it would lodge a vote of no-confidence in him, claiming the first minister had "failed" in his role and had "focused on the wrong priorities for Scotland".
Both Labour and the Liberal Democrats agreed to back the motion, with its success hanging on whether Green Party MSPs joined the attack to give SNP critics a majority in Holyrood.
Its co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater have now confirmed their party they will join forces to condemn Mr Yousaf's leadership, with Green sources telling Sky News there was serious anger among the ousted party.
How Mr Yousaf's ex-SNP leadership rival could be crucial in vote
More on Humza Yousaf
Related Topics:
In the Scottish parliament, the SNP has 63 seats out of 129, two short of an outright majority.
The Greens have seven, the Conservatives 31, Labour has 22, the Liberal Democrats have four, there is one Alba MSP Ash Regan - an ex-SNP leadership rival of Mr Yousaf's - and there is also presiding officer Alison Johnstone who is both an MSP and Scotland's equivalent of the Commons speaker.
Advertisement
If Ms Regan, who was formerly part of the SNP but defected to Alex Salmond's Alba Party last October, backs Mr Yousaf then that would mean both sides having 64 votes, and Ms Johnstone would be expected to vote in favour of the status quo, so the first minister would survive.
But if Ms Regan votes against Mr Yousaf, then the opposition parties will have 65 votes against the SNP's 63, and the first minister would lose.
Image:Former SNP leadership candidate Ash Regan defected to the Alba Party last October. Pic: PA
If the no-confidence vote passes, it will still be up to Mr Yousaf to decide on how to respond. However, it puts increasing pressure on his position if he fails to hold the confidence of the majority of the parliament.
However, if a no-confidence vote was passed on the government, the SNP administration would have to resign and appoint a new first minister within 28 days or call an election.
Speaking at a news conference, Mr Harvie said: "Humza Yousaf becoming first minister was on the basis of a political cooperation which both parties members signed in good faith, which Humza Yousaf endorsed, and even two days ago was still endorsing.
"He's now chosen to end that. That's his decision and it can't come without consequences."
Image:Scottish Green Party co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie were ousted from government on Thursday. Pic: PA
Both he and Ms Slater denied that supporting the no-confidence vote was "revenge".
Mr Harvie added: "This is about how we achieve the greatest political change for Scotland.
"Humza Yousaf has decided to abandon the vehicle that was delivering that progressive change for Scotland. We think that's a profound mistake."
The power-sharing deal between the SNP and the Greens was made in 2021, after Nicola Sturgeon's party came in just shy of an outright majority in the Holyrood election of the same year.
Follow Sky News on WhatsApp
Keep up with all the latest news from the UK and around the world by following Sky News
Both backers of Scottish independence, the Bute House Agreement between the parties - named after the first minister's official residence in Edinburgh - brought the Greens into government for the first time anywhere in the UK, with both Ms Slater and Mr Harvie given ministerial posts.
The Greens were also dismayed at the pause of puberty blockers in the wake of the landmark Cass review of gender services for under-18s in England and Wales.
The party had been expected to hold a vote on the future of the agreement, but before they got a chance, Mr Yousaf summoned his cabinet and announced on Thursday that the deal had "served its purpose".
The first minister said he hoped to pursue a "less formal" agreement with his former partners and heralded what he called a "new beginning" for the SNP, saying his decision showed "leadership".
But with the Greens now ready to join those against the SNP, there is a possibility it could instead prompt an end to his premiership.
