Coronavirus in Scotland: Swinney no confidence motion rejected

1. Education Secretary John Swinney has survived a no confidence motion which was brought following a row over the way grades were issued this year
2. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she has provisional figures indicating that the R number - the growth rate of the virus - has been above one
3. Although it is acknowledged that when virus prevalence is low the R rate is disproportionately affected by outbreaks
4. Ms Sturgeon's message comes as it is revealed that several different clusters have been identified - including in Orkney, Aberdeenshire and Glasgow
5. She said the clusters should not be alarming in themselves, but no one should be complacent at this time
6. There were 47 new positive cases in the last 24 hours with 26 found in Grampian and 10 in the greater Glasgow area. There were no new deaths from a positive test

Covid in Scotland: Where are the latest cases?

Can I go on furlough to look after my children?

By Eleanor Lawrie

BBC News

Scotland's virus infection rate 'may be increasing'

Coronavirus in Scotland - The headlines

That's all from us here on the live page today, as John Swinney, not unexpectedly, survives the vote of no confidence in him as education secretary.

BBC

SNP MSPs applauded as the no confidence motion was defeated

If you are just joining us here are the other headlines from today:

• The R number may have been as high as 1.3 last week

• The first minister confirmed a Peterhead primary school was closed after a positive case

• She also stressed the pupils of Bannerman High School in Glasgow who tested positive never visited the school and are now self-isolating

• Everyone on Orkney should 'guard against complacency' says Ms Sturgeon as a cluster is investigated there

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• there were no new deaths with Covid in Scotland, but there were 47 new cases of Covid-19 confirmed
• New data showed house parties were beginning to present a considerable risk
• Alpha Solway, a company in Dumfries, has won a £53m PPE contract with NHS Scotland

• The Scottish government is publishing its framework for how it is going to support people through recovery and rehabilitation after coronavirus

Education Secretary John Swinney survives no-confidence vote

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Education Secretary John Swinney has survived a no-confidence vote at Holyrood over the school results row.

The Conservatives, Labour and the Lib Dems called for his resignation after thousands of teacher estimates of grades were initially marked down.

But Mr Swinney's U-turn on the issue was enough for the Scottish Greens to back the SNP in the vote.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Mr Swinney was "one of the most decent and dedicated people in Scottish politics".

The motion, tabled by Labour, was defeated by 67 votes to 58.

• Read more here
• Swinney insists U-turn not about saving his job
• Scottish pupils have results upgraded

BreakingMSPs reject motion of no confidence in John Swinney

A motion of no confidence in Scotland's Education Secretary John Swinney has been rejected at Holyrood.

58 MSPs vote for it but 67 voted against.

The Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Labour and the Lib Dems had all wanted him to resign over the exams controversy.

But the Scottish Greens did not support the motion, following a government U-turn.

SP

MSPs have rejected this motion of no-condidence

Vote on no confidence in Swinney under way

BBC

SNP MSPs gave John Swinney a round of applause as they argued against the motion

Education Secretary John Swinney faces a no-confidence motion at Holyrood now over the exams controversy but the vote is expected to be defeated.

MSPs are using the new hybrid chamber and remote voting system hence the technical break.

The Scottish Conservatives, Scottish Labour and the Lib Dems want him to resign after thousands of teacher estimates were downgraded.

But the Scottish Greens have said they will not support the motion, following a government U-turn.

They said they were satisfied now that teacher estimates have been reinstated.

• Swinney insists U-turn not about saving his job
• Scottish pupils have results upgraded

A short technical break takes place

BBC

Presiding Officer Ken Macintosh suspends parliament as the motion is not agreed and this is only the second time the new voting system is being used.

Constance calls for Swinney 'to finish the work he has started'

BBC

Angela Constance insists John Swinney should remain as education secretary "and finish the work he has started".

The SNP MSP argues parents and pupils wanted not revenge but a resolution.

They wanted the education secretary to sort out the problem and that is what he did, she insists.

Willie Rennie - 'He has to go'

BBC

Supporting the motion, Scottish Lib Dem Leader Willie Rennie says: "This is not just about exam results" but rather that is what triggered it."

He argues that teachers, pupils, lecturers and parents have been losing confidence in Mr Swinney for years.

He says Scotland's education system has been failing and that John Swinney must know deep down that "he has to go".

'The Greens will of course oppose this motion'

BBC

"The Greens will of course oppose this motion," confirms Ross Greer.

He explains he spent four months warning about the SQA exams system.

The Scottish Greens education spokesperson says his party has led on the issue of the fundamentally broken nature of the assessment process.

Mr Greer says only the Greens were actually interested in fixing the solution and says the government adopted all its proposals to do just that.

Here's a reminder of what they were:

• Restoration of all 124,000 downgraded results to the level estimated by teachers
• Preservation of all 9,000 upgraded results
• an independent review
• a second longer term review of exams and assessments

Davidson: 'The sanction must fit the failure'

BBC

Ruth Davidson argues that John Swinney has to stand down, saying "this failure is so great, it demands resignation".

She insists that parliamentary responsibility is "forever damaged by his clinging on".

For parliamentary responsibility, or indeed natural justice to work, the sanction must fit the scale of the failure

Ruth Davidson

Davidson insists 'he simply has to go'

BBC

Ruth Davidson continues the debate by saying "the education secretary's failings are so great, the damage to his authority so fatal, that he simply has to go".

She argues that his decision to reinstate teacher estimates after previously defeating the SQA moderation system leaves him "open to accusations that he cared more about his own job than children of this country's future".

Davidson demands Swinney resigns

FM: 'Levelling the playing field cannot be a bad thing'

BBC

The first minister says she has reflected hard on criticism that, following her government's U-turn, the exam results are now "too generous".

Ms Sturgeon says she has reached a conclusion that she regrets not having reached sooner.

Given the enormous Covid disadvantage that young people have suffered in this, I hope, unique year - levelling the playing field in their favour cannot be and is not a bad thing.

Nicola SturgeonFirst Minister

Coming up on Drivetime...

Drivetime with John Beattie

BBC Radio Scotland

Michael Dickson, the chief executive for NHS Orkney, will be on today's programme.

Health authorities there say they are dealing with a cluster of Covid-19 cases.

NHS Orkney said positive tests had been detected in a group of nine people who worked together and then travelled to homes "across the isles".

The health board said it was examining links with the 177 cases that are part of a cluster in Aberdeen.

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Nicola Sturgeon said anyone in the isles who developed symptoms of coronavirus should "isolate immediately"

WATCH: Leonard calls for John Swinney to go

FM: Motion 'not about principle and simply about politics'

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The first minister describes the situation created by Covid as "unprecedented in the history of Scottish examinations".

And Ms Sturgeon says she took decisions under a "unique set of circumstances" that she felt were "the right ones".

She also questions the "motivations and priorities" of the opposition when similar decisions were made elsewhere in the UK.

Ms Sturgeon accuses the Conservatives of "weasel words" and condemns Labour for launching the motion "before even waiting to listening to the solution at UK level."

The first minister says, for both parties, the motion is "not about principle and simply about politics".