New flyover at Laurencekirk junction is needed now

I received an apology from the SNP farming minister after I raised the question of prime agricultural land being lost in Angus and the Mearns, writes Tess White MSP.

Farmers are telling me they will have to give up A-grade farmland due to SSEN’s plans to build a chain of 190ft pylons between Aberdeenshire and Angus. This is in addition to the other concerns of people who live along the route.

The Scottish Government previously admitted it has not assessed the loss of agricultural land. Jim Fairlie told MSPs that the planning portion of this is for councils to decide. But he wrote to me admitting he was wrong, that it will be Scottish Ministers who will have the only say on this. If the farming minister didn’t know this, what hope do campaigners have?

Congratulations to Harriet Cross and Andrew Bowie MPs, who were the two fastest parliamentarian runners at the London Marathon. Harriet set the quickest time to have ever been recorded by a female MP, finishing in three hours 21 minutes, raising money for Kayleigh’s Wee Stars. Andrew was second fastest MP and raised money for MS Society UK, another great cause.

Fiona Hyslop’s refusal to meet me to hear about the frightening experiences at the Laurencekirk junction is a slap in the face to the community. She has a “fully committed diary” apparently until the next election in 2026. The number of collisions, near misses and speeding offences make it clearer than ever that the long-awaited flyover needs built now. After almost a decade since the Scottish Government announced plans, and two decades of community campaigning, spades have yet to properly hit the ground.

Shamefully, the SNP voted to keep Maggie Chapman as deputy convener of Holyrood’s equalities committee.

Ms Chapman was filmed at a rally condemning "bigotry, prejudice and hatred coming from the Supreme Court, in direct violation of the committee’s role to scrutinise — but uphold — the rule of law. My motion was to remove her as a member and depute.

She refused to come to the committee on Tuesday. Unbelievably, she was allowed to vote to save her own skin. In any other job, violating your contract would lead to dismissal. This is a disgraceful outcome which sets an alarming precedent.