Politics
Revealed: Boris Johnson’s Afghan trip cost taxpayers £20,000
Boris Johnson’s widely criticised trip to Afghanistan when a crucial vote was due on a third runway at Heathrow cost the British taxpayer at least £20,000, The Ferret can reveal.
Freedom of Information
Nuclear weapons
MoD keeps Trident’s official safety assessments secret
The Ministry of Defence has come under fierce fire after refusing to reveal the official safety ratings given by its watchdog for the Trident nuclear weapons system on the Clyde.
Environment
Shell and ExxonMobil accused of ‘putting profit before safety’ in Fife
Two oil multinationals have repeatedly failed to reduce the risks of major accidents at petrochemical plants in Fife, according to documents from the UK government’s Health and Safety Executive.
Politics
Scottish Government breaching freedom of information law, says watchdog
The Scottish Government has been condemned by its freedom of information watchdog for breaking the law by blocking requests from journalists and MSPs.
Finance, Health, Politics
Revealed: £56m cuts to disability payments hit Scotland’s poorest hardest
Many of Scotland's poorest communities have been hit hardest by cuts to disability benefits with over £56 million lost in annual payments, The Ferret can reveal.
Nuclear weapons
Safety mishaps during nuclear bomb convoys rise to record high
Safety problems plaguing the nuclear bomb convoys that regularly crisscross the country by road have risen to a record high, according to new figures from the Ministry of Defence.
Environment
Wildlife in Scotland under less legal protection than in England
Wildlife in Scotland has weaker protection against damaging developments than wildlife in England and Wales, according to emails released by the government’s conservation agency, Scottish Natural Heritage.
Environment
Scottish Government bid to exempt fish farming from US ban on seal killing
The Scottish Government has been secretly trying to wriggle out of a proposed US ban on imports of salmon from fish farms that shoot seals, according to documents published by The Ferret.
Environment, Human rights
We planned to avoid freedom of information law, says council
A senior planning official has admitted circumventing freedom of information law, by receiving vital environmental data from fish farmers “face to face”.