John Swinney expresses ‘huge relief’ that no one was hurt in blaze believed to have started in vape shop

Scotland’s first minister has pledged to help deal with the costs of the “horrific” fire that has closed Glasgow Central station for at least two days and gutted a Victorian office block.

John Swinney said it was a huge relief there had been no injuries, but that there would be significant financial costs from the fire, which caused chaos for the city’s commuters and the cancellation of west coast main line services to Glasgow.

Anas Sarwar says prime minister’s missteps have left party clear underdogs in run-up to May election

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Keir Starmer and senior ministers have been urged by Scottish Labour to “stay behind their doors” in Whitehall to avoid turning the next Holyrood election into a referendum on UK government failures.

Anas Sarwar, the leader of Scottish Labour, said the prime minister’s policy failures and missteps had left voters “angry, frustrated and impatient”, leaving his party clear underdogs before May’s election.