National Focus 300: Stories From Scotland

BBC to cut almost one in ten staff to make £500m savings

The BBC has announced it will cut between 1,800 and 2,000 jobs, or nearly one in ten, in an attempt to make £500 million in savings over the next two years. Interim director general Rhodi Talfans Davies told BBC Radio 4’s Media Show, “Inevitably there are going to be some big and some difficult choices.” He did not rule out cutting entire channels or services. In a recent email to staff, Davies acknowledged the significant financial pressures facing the BBC, and imposed tighter controls on spending on recruitment, travel, management consultancies, and attendance at conferences, awards and events. He has said the corporation will give more details about how services will be affected later this year, clarifying that the job at hand over the next few months is “to work through how we make those changes without damaging the services that we know are critical to the BBC across radio, television and online.” The BBC currently has about 21,500 full-time employees. Staff are already under significant pressure after previous redundancy rounds. Philippa Childs, Head of Broadcasting, has warned that cuts of this magnitude will be devastating for the workforce and for the BBC as a whole. She cautioned that at a time when journalism is dominated by fake news and large corporations, the UK needs the BBC more than ever, and further cuts "will inevitably damage its ability to deliver on its public mission.”

Starmer says he's 'not going to yield' to pressure from Trump on Iran war

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump appear increasingly at odds over the war in Iran. President Trump has persistently criticised the prime minister for refusing to join the offensive measures in the US-Israel war against Iran. President Trump told Sky News that when the US asked the UK for help, “they were not there.” Prime Minister Starmer told the House of Commons: “I'm not going to change my mind, I'm not going to yield, it is not in our national interest to join this war and we will not do so." Starmer has maintained that his position on Iran has been clear from the start and that he will not allow the UK to be dragged into the war. In May 2025, the UK became the first country to agree to a tariff agreement with President Trump in his second term — with the recent strains on UK-US relations over the Middle East, Trump has threatened this trade deal. In an interview with Sky News, Trump said, “We gave them a good trade deal. Better than I had to. Which can always be changed." Trump has threatened the trade relationship between the US and UK and has continued to criticise Starmer over his repeated refusal to sign off on direct military involvement. As of April 2026, Starmer remains firm in his decision to stay out of the conflict.

Hearts, Celtic, Rangers: a three-team race for the Scottish title 

With five games remaining in the season, only three points cover the top three teams in the Scottish Premier League, with a three-way race for the Scottish title. Heart of Midlothian, Rangers or Celtic? Who is going to finish on top of the Scottish Premiership? The last time the famous Scottish league title was lifted by a side other than the Rangers or Celtic was in 1985, when Sir Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen finished on top. The league has experienced a 40-year Old Firm Dominance, not often extending beyond the reaches of Glasgow. But with the Hearts now chasing the title and both Glasgow clubs racing to catch up, this could be the year that everything changes. The Hearts now have the chance to be the first non-Old Firm title winner in a generation. 

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