Such a result would be a disaster for the SNP, which claimed that winning a majority of seats in this election would represent a fresh mandate for independence. The party’s embattled leader, John Swinney, will face questions about what such a reversal means for the party’s pro-independence dreams.
“It’s a very poor result for the Scottish National Party tonight,” Swinney told the BBC. “There will be a lot of soul searching we will have to do as a party.”
“It’s going to be a f***ing rotten night for the SNP … the general picture is bleak,” said a former SNP adviser, speaking on condition of anonymity.
An SNP candidate, also speaking on condition of anonymity, argued that their party has “struggled to get a hearing in the national debate,” pointing to voters’ desire to get rid of the Conservative government.
Early results Friday indicated that the SNP is facing huge losses — mostly at the hands of a rejuvenated Scottish Labour Party.
Scottish Labour won in the Ayrshire seat of Kilmarnock and Loudoun, coming from a third place finish in 2019 to win ahead of the SNP. Scottish Labour repeated the trick in East Renfrewshire, with another third-to-first leap.
Scottish Labour’s rise came as the SNP’s popularity in Scotland fell. The SNP has faced a series of scandals, alongside declining faith in its management of the devolved Scottish government. The party has also struggled to find a leadership figure with the same national profile as Sturgeon, who stepped down under a cloud in 2023.
“To some extent people have fallen out of love with us and we must ask why,” Ian Blackford, the SNP’s former Westminster leader, told the BBC.
The Workers Party leader did not turn up to the count in Rochdale (BBC)
Mr Galloway thanked those in the constituency who “gave me 54 sitting days in the last parliament as their MP”.
He took to X following the defeat, writing: “I thank the people of Rochdale who gave me 54 sitting days in the last parliament as their MP.
“Big thanks to my agent, my campaign team and the thousands who voted for me today.
“We took the government party to within 1,500 votes and serve notice on Labour that we are here to stay in Rochdale.
“We will field a full slate of council candidates, establish a full-time office there, campaign to re-open the maternity ward and A&E, and keep up the pressure on Labour in the town.”
Mr Galloway won the seat in a February by-election, overturning a Labour majority of 9,668.
The former Labour and Respect party MP, has held four different seats in parliament since 1987.
George Galloway was elected to the seat in a by-election in February (PA Wire)
The political firebrand was first Labour MP for Glasgow Hillhead from 1987, and after that constituency was abolished before the 1997 election, he became Labour MP for its successor, Glasgow Kelvin.
He was expelled from the Labour party in 2003 for bringing the party into disrepute, after he called the then Labour Government “Tony Blair’s lie machine”, and said British troops fighting in Iraq should refuse to obey their orders.
In 2006 he appeared in the fourth series of Celebrity Big Brother, becoming notorious for a bizarre impersonation of actress Rula Lenska’s pet cat. He lasted three weeks before he was evicted.
In the February by-election Mr Galloway took almost 40 per cent of the vote and a majority of almost 5,700.
During the general election campaign, Mr Galloway came under fire for saying he trusts Vladimir Putin more than Keir Starmer. He faced criticism earlier this year for “blatant homophobia” after saying he doesn’t think that gay relationships are equal to heterosexual relationships.
He has also repeatedly been accused of spreading conspiracy theories, including recently speculating that the Princess of Wales was “dead” and that the April 2022 Russian massacre of civilians in Bucha, just north of Kyiv, was likely staged.
In the February by-election Mr Galloway took almost 40 per cent of the vote and a majority of almost 5,700 (PA Wire)
He has long been an ardent supporter of the Palestinian people and staunch critic of Israel, calling for the dismantling of the “Zionist state”.
But he has also been accused of antisemitism, including when he was sacked by TalkRadio in 2019 for congratulating Liverpool FC over beating Tottenham Hotspur FC in the Champions League final by tweeting “No Israel flags on the Cup!”
The Workers Party of Britain was founded by Mr Galloway in 2019 in response to Jeremy Corbyn’s defeat in the general election of that year.
Mr Galloway has also done and said things which would have spelled the end of other politicians’ careers, including being vilified in the press for meeting Saddam Hussein.
The ex-MP was criticised in 2012 for appearing to state that having sex with an unconscious woman would be “bad sexual etiquette” but not rape.
Full results:
Paul Waugh, Labour – 13,027 (32.82%)
George Galloway, Workers Party of Britain – 11,587 (29.20%)
On a video posted to X, formerly Twitter, he said: “It’s midnight, there are two results in from the north-east of England that put Reform on 30% of the vote, that is way more than any possible prediction or projection. It is almost unbelievable.
Exploring the isolated Tenerife landscape of Jay Slater's last known location
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A TV detective investigating Jay Slater’s disappeance says the teenager was told by friends to head back to an AirBnB where he had stayed the night before he went missing.
Mark Williams-Thomas - who also investigated Nicola Bulley’s disappearance - has been assisting Mr Slater’s family in their search for the 19-year-old in Tenerife.
He left the property early on Monday morning and called his friend at 8.50am to say that he was lost in the Rural de Teno park with no water and only had one per cent battery on his phone.
Mr Williams-Thomas highlighted Jay’s strange decision to embark on the walk through challenging terrain rather than return to the AirBnb.
He said: “He was told to go back to the rental. He said he could not do that and that he had already been walking 30 minutes and that he was now off the road and walking on a track, where there were loose stones.”
Jay Slater’s dad wonders if son was making his way to sea
Jay Slater’s father Warren, 58, has been searching a trail at Jay’s last known location at Rural de Teno Park on Wednesday.
Asked if he thinks Jay may have been heading towards the sea, which was visible in the distance, Warren told the Manchester Evening News: “Maybe”.
“I’ve done this trail now twice. Every step I’ve took there’s been an opening. If you land on one of those cactus’ you’re not moving. Surely somebody’s gonna find you after two weeks.”
Speaking about the area below him, he said: “It’s hundreds of square feet of this little bushy stuff. You can’t explain this to somebody unless they see it. You can take a photograph or film it, but until you’re here...”.
Jay Slater could still be alive surviving off ‘rainwater and plants', private investigator suggests
A private investigator has urged Jay Slater’s family “not to give up hope” as he suggests he could still be alive drinking “rainwater” and eating “plants”.
Juan García, an army reservist and private investigator, says he has been in touch with Jay Slater’s family and told The Times: ““two weeks is too premature to end the search.
“[Slater] could be alive somewhere — someone can drink from rainwater and eat plants. The family should not give up hope.”
Forensic officers were spotted at the AirBnb in Masca on Tuesday, the Manchester Evening News reports.
Two police officers were seen inside the holiday rental apartment where Jay stayed the night before his disappearance. The men, who were both wearing plain clothes, exited the property shortly after 11am wearing forensic style blue slip-ons over their shoes.
They were then seen taking the slip-ons off before speaking to a local, who had let them into the property with a key.
The Airbnb Casa Abuela Tina in Masca which Jay Slater travelled to (James Manning/PA) (PA Wire)
Jay knew men whose AirBnb he went back to ‘through friends'
The man who’s AirBnb Jay Slater visited before disappearing said they knew each other through friends.
Ayub Qassim is believed to be one of two men who invited Jay Slater back to their holiday accommodation in Masca in the early hours of Monday morning.
Jay left the Airbnb at around 8am but having missed the bus back down to his own accommodation in Playa de Las Americas, he attempted an 11 hour journey through the remote and challenging terrain of Rural de Teno park.
Mr Qassim said Jay left the house “alive” and said he knew Jay “through friends”.
“I know Jay, through friends, I’m not going to bring someone back to mine if I don’t know them,” he told the MailOnline. “I don’t know if he had beef elsewhere because I don’t know him that well, I only know him through friends.”
He added: “He’s a cool guy, Jay. He ain’t got a problem with me, I haven’t got a problem with him or his mates. We just all talk to each other and everything was sweet.”
Friends told Jay Slater ‘head back to AirBnb’ before disappearance
A TV detective investigating Jay Slater’s dissapearance has said the teenager was told by friends to head back to an AirBnB where he had stayed the night before he went missing.
Mark Williams-Thomas - who also investigated Nicola Bulley’s disappearance - has been assisting Jay’s family in their search for the 19-year-old in Tenerife.
Jay seemingly left the Veronica’s party strip in the south of the island in the early hours of Monday morning with two men he had met, before taking an hour-long drive to
They travelled an hours drive back to their holiday accommodation in Masca, which Jay left several hours later and having missed the bus, attempted to walk 11 hours back towards his own accommodation.
Mr Williams-Thomas highlighted Jay’s strange decision to embark on the walk through challenging terrain rather than return to the AirBnb.
He said: “He was told to go back to the rental. He said he could not do that and that he had already been walking 30 minutes and that he was now off the road and walking on a track, where there were loose stones.”
Family of missing teenager criticise ‘vile’ conspiracy theories
The family of Jay Slater said they were aware of the “vile” conspiracy theories being spread online about his disappearance, and said they were “extremely distressing”.
In a statement, they said: “We would like to say to the press/news/reporters, that although we do not want to lose the momentum of Jay’s disappearance, we really would like to maintain our privacy and crucially let the Spanish police get on with their investigations without hindrance from press.
“We are aware of the conspiracy theories and speculation on social media and some websites, and can only describe this as vile, the negative comments are extremely distressing to our family.
Man who’s AirBnb Jay Slater went back to breaks silence
The man who invited Jay Slater back to his AirBnb before he disappeared has broken his silence.
The 19-year-old went missing after he left the holiday accommodation early on Monday morning to catch a bus back towards his own accommodation on the other side of the island.
Ayub Qassim invited Jay back to the remote holiday cottage near the village of Masca after a night out in Playa de las Americas.
“He came to my Airbnb alive and he left my Airbnb alive,” he told the MailOnline.
He added: “I let the geezer stay at mine because he had nowhere else to go, his friends had all left him. I know Jay, through friends, I’m not going to bring someone back to mine if I don’t know them.
“I’m doing the geezer a favour and now my face is all over the news. It’s a bit mental. I haven’t even done anything.”
He insisted they had no argument and he had even given Jay a blanket to sleep in. He and his friend - who was also staying at the AirBnb - extended their trip for a day to speak with police before travelling back to the UK.
Spanish police have described the pair as “irrelevant” to the investigation.
Jay Slater’s dad blasts ‘being left in the dark’ by Spanish police
Warren Slater, 58, was asked about the investigation today as he searched for the 19-year-old in the ravine where Jay’s phone last ‘pinged’ 16 days ago.
Commenting on the investigation, Warren said: “The police here are doing their own investigations. They’re not really telling us anything, they’re not telling you lot anything, we’re in the dark. They know best. Do you think they should be still searching?
“If it was in England I’d be making a stink, but we’re in a foreign country and we’ve just got to leave it to people who know best.”
‘Sunglasses could be vital clue in hunt for Jay Slater'
The Daily Mail’s Nick Pisa said he had spoken to a man who had “found a pair of sunglasses” on the gorge, and had handed them in to the police.
Pisa explained to GB News: “I’ve now spoken to an ex-British Army officer who found some sunglasses up there. He was asked not to put them in a plastic bag because of humidity, but to wrap them up in tissue paper, which he did.
“He handed them in and he had to give DNA and his fingerprints. The question is, are they connected to Jay?”
Debbie Duncan thanked the Guardia Civil who she said had “worked tirelessly up in the mountains where Jay’s last phone call was traced”.
In a statement released through the British overseas missing persons charity LBT Global, she said: “We are a very close family and are absolutely devastated about his disappearance.
“Words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing. He is our beautiful boy with his whole life ahead of him and we just want to find him.”
Jay Slater may have been ‘scared’ leaving AirBnb rental
A TV detective investigating Jay Slater’s dissapearance has said the teenager may have been “scared” leaving an AirBnB before going missing.
Mark Williams-Thomas - who also investigated Nicola Bulley’s disappearance - has been assisting Jay’s family in their search for the 19-year-old in Tenerife.
Jay seemingly left the Veronica’s party strip in the south of the island in the early hours of Monday morning with two men he had met.
They travelled an hours drive back to their holiday accommodation in Masca, which Jay left several hours later and having missed the bus, attempted to walk 11 hours back towards his own accommodation.
He said: “We have received information that would suggest Jay left the rental property feeling scared and that he would not return to the rental, even though that would have been the most sensible course of action, and also where he could have charged his phone and got water.”
Family of missing teenager criticise ‘vile’ conspiracy theories
The family of Jay Slater said they were aware of the “vile” conspiracy theories being spread online about his disappearance, and said they were “extremely distressing”.
In a statement, they said: “We would like to say to the press/news/reporters, that although we do not want to lose the momentum of Jay’s disappearance, we really would like to maintain our privacy and crucially let the Spanish police get on with their investigations without hindrance from press.
“We are aware of the conspiracy theories and speculation on social media and some websites, and can only describe this as vile, the negative comments are extremely distressing to our family.
Man who’s AirBnb Jay Slater went back to breaks silence
The man who invited Jay Slater back to his AirBnb before he disappeared has broken his silence.
The 19-year-old went missing after he left the holiday accommodation early on Monday morning to catch a bus back towards his own accommodation on the other side of the island.
Ayub Qassim invited Jay back to the remote holiday cottage near the village of Masca after a night out in Playa de las Americas.
“He came to my Airbnb alive and he left my Airbnb alive,” he told the MailOnline.
He added: “I let the geezer stay at mine because he had nowhere else to go, his friends had all left him. I know Jay, through friends, I’m not going to bring someone back to mine if I don’t know them.
“I’m doing the geezer a favour and now my face is all over the news. It’s a bit mental. I haven’t even done anything.”
He insisted they had no argument and he had even given Jay a blanket to sleep in. He and his friend - who was also staying at the AirBnb - extended their trip for a day to speak with police before travelling back to the UK.
Spanish police have described the pair as “irrelevant” to the investigation.
Jay Slater’s dad blasts ‘being left in the dark’ by Spanish police
Warren Slater, 58, was asked about the investigation today as he searched for the 19-year-old in the ravine where Jay’s phone last ‘pinged’ 16 days ago.
Commenting on the investigation, Warren said: “The police here are doing their own investigations. They’re not really telling us anything, they’re not telling you lot anything, we’re in the dark. They know best. Do you think they should be still searching?
“If it was in England I’d be making a stink, but we’re in a foreign country and we’ve just got to leave it to people who know best.”
‘Sunglasses could be vital clue in hunt for Jay Slater'
The Daily Mail’s Nick Pisa said he had spoken to a man who had “found a pair of sunglasses” on the gorge, and had handed them in to the police.
Pisa explained to GB News: “I’ve now spoken to an ex-British Army officer who found some sunglasses up there. He was asked not to put them in a plastic bag because of humidity, but to wrap them up in tissue paper, which he did.
“He handed them in and he had to give DNA and his fingerprints. The question is, are they connected to Jay?”
Detective ‘confident’ that Snapchat picture is if missing Jay Slater
Mark Williams-Thomas says is “confident” that a crucial photo is of Jay wearing his “black and green AirMax trainers, which he had on the night he went out”.
He said: “Whilst on the walk he talked to and messaged his friends. Whilst walking Jay spoke to at least three people telling them that he was lost with little phone battery and without water.
“He was told to go back by at least two people to the rental. He said he could not do that and that he’d already been walking 30 minutes and that he was now off-road and was walking on a track where there were loose stones.
“We know that at 8.49 and 8.50 Jay sent his location via both Snapchat and WhatsApp to two friends. We can confirm it was Jay using his phone at that stage and there was no indication that he was with anyone.”
Missing Persons Tenerife group swells as Jay Slater search captures national zeitgeist
The Missing Persons Tenerife Facebook Group has swollen from 340 members to almost 8,000 in a fortnight.
Most, but not all of those joining are British nationals, some of whom are worried about their safety in visiting Tenerife, as well as those having an interest in the Jay Slater case.
Its admin Deborah Clarke-Topper said the spike meant other historical missing persons cases are gaining attention.
She told The Independent: “It is clear that the coverage of the case is building a perception that Tenerife is not a safe destination, and that the police do not act as favourably toward Britons on holiday as they would their own citizens.
“However, I am sure that the Spanish police are extremely earnest in their investigation and reaching a conclusion to it is what they want, regardless of the nationality of the missing person. As long as the case remains unresoved there will be negative perception on the safety of holiday makers.”
Some hospitals have reintroduced mask wearing after a spike in patients being admitted with Covid-19, so should we be worried the virus is making a comeback?
Since Monday, patients, visitors and staff are required to wear masks in clinical areas at the Royal Stoke University Hospital and County Hospital in Stafford.
In Worcestershire, the Acute Hospitals NHS Trust said the measure was necessary "to protect patients, their loved ones and hospital staff from risk of infection" .
They are currently treating 65 patients with Covid-19, the highest number since December 2023. Patients are also in hospital for longer so that would indicate they are sicker too.
In Staffordshire, there are 108 patients with the virus. At Royal Stoke Hospital two wards are currently full with Covid patients.
But it is difficult to tell if this is some sort of "summer Covid wave" because we are doing a lot less testing than we used to.
Most of the testing these days is done of hospital patients when they are admitted and yes, we are seeing a bit of an uptick, indeed it might be higher than the numbers suggest as not all new patients are tested.
Part of life
But let's put these new cases in context.
With about 170 infected patients in the last few weeks in Staffordshire and Worcestershire that is a lot fewer than we saw at the height of the pandemic.
At the end of 2021 going in to 2022, we saw a peak in England of nearly 300,000 new cases a day and there are no signs we are even remotely close to a return to those sort of numbers.
As for what is driving this small rise in cases, well Covid-19 as a virus is constantly evolving and yes that means new variants. If you remember it was the Omicron variant that drove that huge peak of 300,000 cases.
Currently, we are seeing a descendent of that Omicron variant, JN1, dominating things and in fact, there are even newer mutations of JN1, that we are keeping an eye on collectively, called FliRT. (Flirt is an acronym that's to do with the locations of the mutations on the virus, if you are wondering.)
But, it is too early to tell if FliRT variants are driving this small increase in infection.
The truth is Covid-19 is now part of life. We will all be infected and re-infected over and over again.
For many of us, that IS not likely to be a problem, but those that can, should keep getting boosted, and yes, in hospital mask wearing is something we might see more of now and again as infection rates peak.
Debbie Duncan thanked the Guardia Civil who she said had “worked tirelessly up in the mountains where Jay’s last phone call was traced”.
In a statement released through the British overseas missing persons charity LBT Global, she said: “We are a very close family and are absolutely devastated about his disappearance.
“Words cannot describe the pain and agony we are experiencing. He is our beautiful boy with his whole life ahead of him and we just want to find him.”
Jay Slater’s dad blasts ‘being left in the dark’ by Spanish police
Warren Slater, 58, was asked about the investigation today as he searched for the 19-year-old in the ravine where Jay’s phone last ‘pinged’ 16 days ago.
Commenting on the investigation, Warren said: “The police here are doing their own investigations. They’re not really telling us anything, they’re not telling you lot anything, we’re in the dark. They know best. Do you think they should be still searching?
“If it was in England I’d be making a stink, but we’re in a foreign country and we’ve just got to leave it to people who know best.”
‘Sunglasses could be vital clue in hunt for Jay Slater'
The Daily Mail’s Nick Pisa said he had spoken to a man who had “found a pair of sunglasses” on the gorge, and had handed them in to the police.
Pisa explained to GB News: “I’ve now spoken to an ex-British Army officer who found some sunglasses up there. He was asked not to put them in a plastic bag because of humidity, but to wrap them up in tissue paper, which he did.
“He handed them in and he had to give DNA and his fingerprints. The question is, are they connected to Jay?”
Detective ‘confident’ that Snapchat picture is if missing Jay Slater
Mark Williams-Thomas says is “confident” that a crucial photo is of Jay wearing his “black and green AirMax trainers, which he had on the night he went out”.
He said: “Whilst on the walk he talked to and messaged his friends. Whilst walking Jay spoke to at least three people telling them that he was lost with little phone battery and without water.
“He was told to go back by at least two people to the rental. He said he could not do that and that he’d already been walking 30 minutes and that he was now off-road and was walking on a track where there were loose stones.
“We know that at 8.49 and 8.50 Jay sent his location via both Snapchat and WhatsApp to two friends. We can confirm it was Jay using his phone at that stage and there was no indication that he was with anyone.”
Missing Persons Tenerife group swells as Jay Slater search captures national zeitgeist
The Missing Persons Tenerife Facebook Group has swollen from 340 members to almost 8,000 in a fortnight.
Most, but not all of those joining are British nationals, some of whom are worried about their safety in visiting Tenerife, as well as those having an interest in the Jay Slater case.
Its admin Deborah Clarke-Topper said the spike meant other historical missing persons cases are gaining attention.
She told The Independent: “It is clear that the coverage of the case is building a perception that Tenerife is not a safe destination, and that the police do not act as favourably toward Britons on holiday as they would their own citizens.
“However, I am sure that the Spanish police are extremely earnest in their investigation and reaching a conclusion to it is what they want, regardless of the nationality of the missing person. As long as the case remains unresoved there will be negative perception on the safety of holiday makers.”
Man who took Jay Slater back to his AirBnb insists teen was alive when he left
One of the men who last saw Jay Slater alive has broken his silence.
Ayub Qassim is believed to be one of the two men who was staying in the apartment Jay Slater left in the early hours to make the long trek back to his own rental accommodation.
He vanished somewhere along the 10-hour walk.
Speaking to MailOnline today Ayub Qassim said: “The only comment I have to make is that Jay came to the house alive, and he left the house alive.
“I let the geezer stay at mine because he had nowhere else to go, his friends had all left him.
“I know Jay, through friends, I’m not going to bring someone back to mine if I don’t know them.
“I’m doing the geezer a favour and now my face is all over the news. It’s a bit mental. I haven’t even done anything.”
Young Britons holidaying in Tenerife say the disappearance of teenager Jay Slater has made them take extra safety precautions. The 19-year-old disappeared after attending a music festival with friends two weeks ago. Spanish police have now said the hunt for Mr Slater had ended with the case remaining open. Young holidaymakers heading to Tenerife spoke to Sky News about their fears on Monday (1 July). One person said: “We are more cautious and aware. We have got our own locations on. We wouldn’t have considered that when we booked it.” Another added: “I am a little more scared, so made sure we have got each other’s locations on.”
Jay Slater’s dad wonders if son was making his way to sea
Jay Slater’s father Warren, 58, has been searching a trail at Jay’s last known location at Rural de Teno Park on Wednesday.
Asked if he thinks Jay may have been heading towards the sea, which was visible in the distance, Warren told the Manchester Evening News: “Maybe”.
“I’ve done this trail now twice. Every step I’ve took there’s been an opening. If you land on one of those cactus’ you’re not moving. Surely somebody’s gonna find you after two weeks.”
Speaking about the area below him, he said: “It’s hundreds of square feet of this little bushy stuff. You can’t explain this to somebody unless they see it. You can take a photograph or film it, but until you’re here...”.
