The Ferret headlines

The Scottish Government has been criticised for working "in-step with the Foreign Office" over a controversial meeting with an Israeli official.

Emails seen by The Ferret reveal that civil servants at Holyrood urged external affairs secretary Angus Robertson to meet with Israel's deputy ambassador Daniela Grudsky after consulting with UK Government officials.

A Scottish Government official had stressed the importance of being "on the same page" as Westminster ahead of the meeting, the emails show.

The meeting, on August 8 last year, prompted criticism from senior SNP and opposition figures after a picture was circulated by Grudsky on social media.

At the time, the late former first minister Alex Salmond said the meeting called into question whether both external affairs secretary Robertson and first minister John Swinney could continue in office.

Commenting on The Ferret's findings, Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said it was "concerning" that Scottish ministers had aligned their foreign policy with Westminster, while Christine Grahame, one of the SNP's longest-serving MSPs, blasted Robertson's "lack of judgment".

The Scottish Government said it was "normal" for officials to consult the Foreign Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) when ministers are meeting international contacts, "given their central role in UK foreign relations".

The emails were released under freedom of information law. The Scottish Government is still refusing to publish the minutes of the meeting between Robertson and Grudsky despite an appeal to the Scottish Information Commissioner by The Ferret.

The Scottish Government's international relations team wrote to the FCDO almost a month before the meeting, the emails reveal.

This confirms why people were appalled at Angus Robertson's actions. This worsens an already bad situation.

Kenny MacAskill, Alba Party

They said they had received a request "for the new Deputy Head of Mission to see the FM and Cabinet Secretaries".

Stating that they were inclined to "recommend that the Cabinet Secretary accepts the meeting", they requested "a briefing on the visit". A Foreign Office civil servant said Whitehall could provide the "latest briefing lines".

A Scottish Government official replied: "Yes please to the lines - I'm keen we're on the same page."

In public, SNP ministers have emphasised their different attitude to the Gaza war, calling for a ceasefire before either Labour or the Conservatives backed the demand. Swinney wrote to both Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer last May demanding that the UK recognises a Palestinian state.

Another email stated that SNP special advisers had "asked what the FCDO advice was on these matters", with a civil servant replying: "On meeting the Deputy Head of Mission, they're relaxed. It's a normal diplomatic meeting. I'll ask them for all the latest lines in advance of any meeting."

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said: "The Scottish Government has rightly taken a different position from Westminster on the killing, and has actively, and publicly condemned Israel's actions and demanded a ceasefire, which made the meeting even more shocking.

She added: "The UK government has armed and supported the Israeli bombardment right from the start, so it is concerning that the Scottish Government worked in-step with the Foreign Office to get the go-ahead for such a meeting to take place."

The emails reveal that Swinney's private office was closely involved in planning the meeting - and responding to the backlash - throughout. International relations officials even discussed tweeting a picture of the event with Swinney's press adviser Jack Middleton. The official asked: "Just to check before I publish tweet - did we get the pic from embassy? If not, I'll issue without."

Alba Party acting leader Kenny MacAskill, who served as justice secretary under Salmond, said: "This confirms why people were appalled at Angus Robertson's actions. This worsens an already bad situation.

"No wonder the ...

Young people leaving care are still being left homeless and at risk, in unsuitable hostels surrounded by drugs, or too afraid to sleep at night despite a Scottish Government "promise" to ensure they are given a safe and loving home for as long as needed, The Ferret has heard.

The failures are being highlighted by a new report - due to be released this week - which calls for urgent action to be taken to prevent homelessness for care leavers.

The "progress report", which The Ferret was given exclusive sight of, marks the fifth anniversary of then-first minister Nicola Sturgeon's flagship care review - known as 'The Promise'.

The Promise - aimed at improving the life chances of children in care homes, foster and other forms of state care - was launched in February 2020. It said all children in the care system must grow up "loved, safe and respected". Its recommendations are due to be fully implemented by 2030.

But now the Promise oversight board, appointed to oversee the commitment, has made a sharp critique of the Scottish Government's failure to address youth homelessness in its latest report, due to be published on 5 February.

What young people need is not just housing - it's a home.

David Anderson, The Promise Oversight Board

While commending progress in some other areas, the report will say that the oversight board's direct requests for the government to address the number of children leaving care homeless have gone unheeded.

"No reasonable explanation" has been given as to why action has not been taken, according to the report.

The chair of the review's oversight board told The Ferret "the promise has already been broken to some young people" and said the commitments to young people in care could not be fulfilled unless their right to a home was upheld.

In the last two years there has been a 14 per cent increase in care leavers under 25 being homeless or threatened with homelessness, according to the latest Scottish homeless data.

Pressure on housing is well established. In May 2024 the Scottish Government announced a national housing emergency, following similar declarations by councils in Glasgow and Edinburgh the year before.

Homeless crisis sparks call for Scotland to declare 'national housing emergency'

The Scottish Government said tackling the housing emergency for everyone, including those in care, would "remain the Scottish Government's focus for 2025".

The row over the lack of homeless support dates back to October 2022 when the Scottish Government "paused" a 2019 agreement with local authorities which stated young people leaving care should have priority for housing support.

The Promise oversight board raised concerns in its second report in July 2023. Four months later the board wrote to both housing minister Paul McLennan and Marie Todd, minister for social care and mental wellbeing, calling for the government to reconsider.

Both letters made the link between homelessness and the raised risk of "tragic early death" for young care leavers. Yet despite follow-up meetings the policy has remained stubbornly on hold.

The oversight board's latest report disputes the government's claim that "current action is sufficient" and reassurance that "local authorities are continuing to prioritise young care leavers," pointing out that the homeless statistics show the situation is getting worse not better.

"We strongly urge government to either reinstate or replace this provision," the report adds. "The right to a home is fundamental to the promise being kept."

The report also calls for more affordable homes, particularly those suited for larger families and for action to be taken on the number of children spending months or longer in temporary accommodation, which puts pressure on already stretched families.

People need to think 'what if it was my child?'

Emily Cutts, G20 Works

Speaking to The Ferret , the board's chair, David Anderson, acknowledged work towards resolving the issue was ongoing. Last Thursday a Scottish Gove...

Residents of Leith's famous "banana flats" claim Edinburgh City Council is breaching their human rights after persistent issues with toxic black mould, faulty lifts, drug dealing, and problems with rats and mice.

A new report by the campaign group residents have formed alleges that the council, which owns all but four of the flats, has failed to invest in the building, depriving those in the block of their human right to decent housing.

Cables Wynd House - known as the banana flats due to its curved shape - is an Edinburgh landmark made infamous as the home of Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson from Irvine Welsh's 1993 novel Trainspotting.

Built in the 1960s in the brutalist architectural style, it was category A listed in 2017, which means it is considered to be a building of national or international importance.

Last summer the group successfully petitioned the council over its failure to repair lifts. Now it has released a report revealing over half of residents experienced dampness and mould last year. The report is based on three years of research, with residents surveyed in 2022 and 2024.

Residents fighting back

Fifty-three per cent of residents reported problems with mould and 63 per cent said they had problems with pests such as mice, rats and pigeons. Four in ten said the problems with their home negatively impacted their mental health.

In August 2022 Edinburgh City Council announced it was planning a refurbishment of the flats. But residents, while welcoming the news, insist that their views must be at the heart of plans. They are concerned about the length of time that it may take and have called for action on the most pressing issues by July this year.

Kirsty Chatwood, who has been a resident of Cables Wynd House for 22 years, said living in the flats had positives such as great views and neighbours. "But there are downsides too, such as the lack of maintenance and the impact that has on all our lives," she added.

A previous refit of kitchens and bathrooms did not work out as planned and the group are determined that this time they will get the housing that they are entitled to under human rights legislation.

Issues like black mould that won't wait for five years. We need those sorted. We're doing this not only for residents here but for those in similar situations across Scotland.

Kirsty Chatwood, resident

"Last time we were promised the moon and back. But that's not how it worked out. The council has been completely irresponsible. So there's a lot of fear and anxiety about how successful this next planned refurb will be," she added.

"Issues like black mould that won't wait for five years. We need those sorted. We're doing this not only for residents here but for those in similar situations across Scotland."

When Stacey Panda moved in with her baby 10 years ago she had previously been homeless and was grateful for somewhere to stay. But soon the mice and drug dealing in the building started to wear her down.

"To be honest, I would happily leave, but it is so extortionate to rent privately and hard to find anyone to swap," she told The Ferret. "So I want to fight to make it better. Some people have just given up. I want to do this for them too."

Cables Wynd residents have lived with substandard housing for too long. The health and wellbeing of 250 residents is being impacted by housing failures.

Lorraine Barrie, Making Rights Real

Lorraine Barrie of human rights campaign Making Rights Real, who has been supporting the residents group, said: "Cables Wynd residents have lived with substandard housing for too long. The health and wellbeing of 250 residents is being impacted by housing failures.

"With the millions of pounds being invested by the council it is vital monies are well spent and the best outcomes are achieved - by listening and involving residents. Their report is an impressive collection of the experiences of residents young and old. This is true grassroots community participation in action."

The report was al...

A major trade union has challenged an elite Scottish golf club - which costs more than £100,000 to join - to honour its commitment to pay the living wage after it advertised a job paying below the benchmark fee.

Unite criticised Loch Lomond Golf Club's November advert for a £12 per hour spa receptionist position, after the real hourly living wage for over 18s was raised from £12 to £12.60 the previous month.

The golf club, a certified living wage employer, did not respond to a request to comment.

The Living Wage Foundation, which accredits the club, told The Ferret that employers have six months to up their pay after it publishes the living wage each year. But Unite called the discrepancy "inexcusable".

The row comes after the union accused the Living Wage Foundation of "ethics washing", following allegations from cleaners that it had accredited another firm paying outsourced workers below the living wage.

Revealed: The secret owners of elite Scots golf club

On 19 January, we revealed that Loch Lomond Golf Club has counted major political donors, a Labour lord, footballers and senior bankers among past shareholders of its parent company, which is registered in the Cayman Islands - a tax haven.

The club is open only to members who can join on a strict invite-only policy, and the entry fees are estimated at well over £100,000 today.

A recent advert for a housekeeping role at the club does not specify an hourly rate, but promises tips, free meals and, in 2025, £2,500 per annum in addition to wages. Workers can also access discounted use of the club's facilities, including a round of golf.

But Unite argues the club should immediately raise salaries for its lowest paid workers.

Golf club living wage discrepancy 'inexcusable'

"For any employer - especially a prestigious local brand - to claim to be a living wage employer without actually paying the rate is inexcusable," said Bryan Simpson, Unite's lead organiser for hospitality.

The real living wage "exists to ensure that workers are paid a wage they can live on and customers can be made aware of who the decent employers are," he argued.

"Hospitality is already the lowest paid sector in the Scottish economy." He added: "We would urge Loch Lomond Golf Club to do the right thing and pay their workers the *real* living wage of £12.60 which they claim they pay before any more reputational damage is done."

Lorna Slater, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, echoed Simposn's view. "I urge Loch Lomond Golf Club to address this immediately," she said. "Every worker deserves a real living wage and an end to the stress, anxiety and pain that comes from poverty pay.

"Prestigious and high profile venues need to be leading by example."

A spokesman for the Living Wage Foundation said: "We encourage accredited employers to implement the new rates at the earliest opportunity, and we know that many do. However, to make it practical and possible for employers, we do offer a six-month implementation period, so the deadline for employers to implement the new rates is May 2025.

"Loch Lomond Golf Club are therefore in compliance with the terms of their accreditation as long as all real Living Wage roles are uprated to the new rates by this deadline."

Header image credit: Kindel Media via Pexels.

The physical and mental abuse Sana suffered took place over many years and left her isolated, lonely and "psychologically destroyed".

A Kurdish refugee living in Glasgow, she is talking candidly about the extreme violence she suffered at the hands of her former husband and his family.

Sana - we've changed her name to protect her identity - is speaking to The Ferret at Freedom from Torture's (FFT) centre in Glasgow where torture survivors are counselled and helped to rebuild their lives.

She has agreed to talk about her past as part of a new campaign by the charity's Women Together group which aims to raise awareness about the scale of gender-based violence in the UK and abroad, while urging politicians to ensure there is effective support to help survivors overcome trauma.

Many people supported by FFT in Glasgow are refugee women and all have survived horrific violence in their home countries and also some in Scotland. They include Sana who had to leave Iraqi-Kurdistan for safety. As a child, she was deprived of an education when her father arranged her marriage to an older man who constantly beat her. His parents supported the abusive behaviour and Sana was even separated from her only child.

"Being physically and psychologically tortured daily was not easy to bear, and the pain and suffering were unimaginable," she explains. "I lost myself and my sense of existence - I felt like I was just nothing. This constant state of fear made me feel even more powerless and trapped. Additionally, I was deprived of my right to be a mother, which compounded my feelings of loss and despair."

Violence against women is endemic in many countries. In the UK, the government said last year it was treating violence against women and girls as a "national emergency" after it emerged offences in England and Wales had risen by 37 per cent between 2018 and 2023. At least one in every 12 women will be a victim each year, a report by the National Police Chiefs Council said, with the exact number of victims expected to be much higher.

In Scotland, where figures are logged differently, there were 14,484 sexual crimes recorded by Police Scotland last year and 63,867 incidents of domestic abuse - an increase of three per cent compared to the previous year. That equates to 5,322 incidents every month, or around 177 each day.

Only this month, the family of a young mum who died four years ago demanded that police investigate claims her death might not have been suicide. Demi Hannaway, from Airdrie, died in May 2021 after being the subject of physical and mental abuse at the hands of her partner Andrew Brown.

FFT - which campaigns against torture and for the rights of survivors seeking asylum in the UK - is one of many charities helping women who have survived violence. Established in 1985 in England, the UK-wide charity has helped more than 50,000 people from at least 100 nations. Savage beatings, whippings, burnings, cuttings and rape are all common methods of torture, FFT says.

Its Scottish facility opened in Glasgow in July 2004. The organisation's head of clinical services in Scotland, Paula Shiels, says that on a daily basis staff witness first-hand the "very real impact" that gender-based violence has on people's lives. "It's shameful that the survivors we support, who have endured violence in their home countries, continue to encounter it in this country," adds Sheils, who is calling on both the Scottish and UK governments to invest in programmes to better protect women and girls.

The campaign by the Women Together group aims to advance women's rights and ensure they have better access to vital services such as mental health support and legal assistance. Women from Black and ethnic minority communities who suffer domestic violence often face additional barriers around language, police discrimination and immigration rules, which means crimes may be under-reported.

Being physically and psychologically tortured daily was not easy to bear, and the pain a...

Fish farms have broken environmental rules more than 100 times in the last two years, according to Scottish Government regulators.

Figures released by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) suggested that the industry's record was one of the worst in Scotland. Breaches included waste discharges, pesticide misuse, seabed pollution, misplaced fish cages and excessive numbers of fish.

The biggest offender was Norwegian-owned salmon farming company, Mowi, which had 60 breaches at 40 sites. Other salmon multinationals with significant numbers of breaches were Scottish Sea Farms with 22, Bakkafrost with nine and Cooke Aquaculture with eight.

The companies said that the breaches were often "not submitting mountains of paperwork on time". They insisted that the industry was one of the most regulated in Scotland, and that compliance was "extremely high".

According to Mowi, the majority of the breaches were "administrative". There was "little to no evidence" to suggest lasting negative impacts on the marine environment, the company said.

Campaigners, however, attacked the industry for harming the environment and "putting profits before planet". They demanded a "crackdown" on offending companies and a moratorium on any new or expanded fish farms.

They also criticised Sepa for being a "toothless regulator", allowing fish farms to break the rules "with impunity". Companies should be fined and prosecuted if they keep breaking the rules, they argued.

Sepa also came under fire from salmon companies for failing to replace its compliance assessment scheme, which was lost after a cyber attack in 2020. Sepa said it was developing a "new approach", which will be subject to public consultation.

Sepa released a list of recent "non-compliances" by all industries in Scotland in response to a freedom of information request by The Ferret. On 12 January 2025 we revealed that there had been a total of 1,616 breaches at 966 sites.

'Alarming' environmental breaches spark calls for tougher action

Breaches by fish farming companies were the second highest of any sector regulated by Sepa. There were 117 breaches listed at 85 sites, including 36 in 2024 (up to 4th September), 79 in 2023, one in 2022 and one in 2021.

That was higher than the metals industry (116), the packaging industry (106), landfill sites (101), poultry production (71), whisky distilleries (60), chemical manufacturers (31) and oil and gas plants (10). Only water and sewage sites recorded more breaches (426).

Sepa categorised 53 of the breaches by fish farming companies as "major non compliant" and 64 as "non compliant". In its released spreadsheet, the agency just said these were due to "emissions", "monitoring, recording and reporting", "site management" or "unauthorised" activities.

When asked to explain further, Sepa told The Ferret that the breaches included "the failure to comply with effluent quality standards at fish hatcheries", and "failures to comply with the authorisation conditions relating to the use of medicines at fish farms."

Other breaches were fish cages "located outwith the area identified in authorisation conditions" and "exceedance of the authorised biomass". Another was the impact on the seabed "being greater than that which is permitted".

Of the 85 sites with breaches, 25 recorded two or more. There were 60 breaches at 40 Mowi sites, 22 at 20 Scottish Sea Farms sites, nine at four Bakkafrost sites and eight at seven Cooke Aquaculture sites. There were 18 breaches at 14 other sites.

Sepa said it intervened "swiftly and effectively where necessary" and was "dedicated" to tackling non-compliance. It expected operators to "comply with their obligations in legislation," a spokesperson added.

"Where Sepa identifies non-compliance, we will communicate this in writing to the authorisation holder. This approach is central to our efforts to ensure environmental responsibilities are met and maintained."

Sepa said it was "developing a new approach to compliance assess...

Farmers are continuing to protest the UK Government's decision to change inheritance tax rules, which they fear will impact their livelihoods.

Demonstrations are planned for the end of January, as many in the farming community say they could be forced to sell their farms if the new rules come into force.

One claim causing controversy suggests the UK Government is prioritising farmers overseas via foreign aid ahead of those in Britain.

Former Conservative minister Robert Jenrick made this claim in a post on X in November 2024.

Labour hand £536m to foreign farmers, paid for by hiking tax on our own farmers.

Robert Jenrick

Ferret Fact service looked at this claim and found it Mostly False.

Evidence

In October 2024, the UK Government revealed its 2025 budget, with changes made to inheritance tax on agricultural properties.

Previously, agricultural property relief meant that most farming property was exempt from inheritance tax, meaning farm assets could be passed down tax-free. The budget announced that from April 2026, this exemption would be restricted to £1m. This means that any asset value higher than £1m would only get a 50 per cent tax relief.

This led to significant anger in the farming community, and a series of demonstrations were held to oppose the move.

Are conspiracy groups trying to hijack farmers' protests?

In late November, Robert Jenrick posted the claim on X that the Labour government had given "£536m to foreign farmers, paid for by hiking tax on our own farmers".

This came from an article in the Daily Express newspaper, which cited research produced by the Taxpayers' Alliance, a pressure group that campaigns to lower taxes in the UK.

The research carried out by the Taxpayers' Alliance stated that "£536.4m is being spent on ten active funding programmes focused on supporting farmers and farming communities abroad".

This information was gleaned through analysis of the UK Government's development tracker, which shows the amount of money spent in foreign aid on different projects throughout the world.

The Taxpayers' Alliance did not respond to requests from The Ferret to provide the detailed methodology of its analysis, but did say that the "£536.4 million in ten foreign aid programmes for farmers identified cover varying time periods".

Nine specific projects are mentioned in its press release, covering various projects in countries including Brazil, Ghana, Somalia, Rwanda, and Tanzania.

The largest agriculture-related project included in the analysis is "Support to the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP)". GAFSP is a worldwide project launched by the G20 nations in 2007 with the stated aim of improving food resilience in the world's poorest countries.

The UK Government has committed £206m to this project, and states its contribution is to "improve agricultural productivity" and "increase farmers' access to markets".

Robert Jenrick's post on X stated that the Labour government had given £536m to foreign farmers, and paid for it with the changes to inheritance tax, but this is not accurate.

The £206m given to the GAFSP was to be spent between October 2012 and June 2031.

By the time Labour got into power in July 2024, about £180m of this budget had already been spent, with the money being initially committed by the previous Conservative government.

This is also the case with a number of other projects mentioned in the analysis. Many spent a majority of their budgets before the current government took office.

More than two-thirds of the money allocated to the nine projects referenced in the Taxpayers' Alliance press release had been spent before the election in July 2024.

Ferret Fact Service verdict: Mostly False

Robert Jenrick's claim that Labour is spending £536m on overseas farmers while increasing tax for UK farmers is misleading. The figures do not relate to spending on overseas aid from the Labour government. Instead they are the total budgets of agriculture projects which are still active, m...

For the past year now, The Ferret has been investigating the health of Scotland's seas.

The Scotland's Seas in Danger project - funded by Journalismfund Europe - is a collaboration with Fada Collective and the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI).

Our aim has been to highlight problems and solutions to pressing issues impacting our oceans and seas, which produce more than half the world's oxygen and hold most of the planet's nature. They also support nearly half the global population's livelihoods, providing crucial food, jobs and energy.

But the marine environment is at risk, and our investigation has spotlighted threats to our waters from climate change, fish farming, oil spills, and plastic pollution, among other issues.

The final report of our series - a collaboration with IRPI - explains what's been happening with marine protected areas (MPAs) in both Scotland and Italy.

These environmental protection zones are intended to safeguard a wide range of marine features - including important habitats, aquatic life and geological features.

Both Scotland and Italy have made bold claims over their MPAs, but green campaigners in both countries fear their respective governments are failing to protect these threatened seas.

What protections does Scotland have in place for its waters?

In Scotland Marine protected areas (MPAs) span 247 sites, covering 37 per cent of Scottish seas. These areas were designated for protection in 2014.

Inside these MPAs, activities like fishing, aquaculture and energy infrastructure are allowed, if they are licensed and in line with legislation.

The Scottish Government can issue fines for breaking rules in MPAs, such as fishing within restricted areas.

Different types of protection zones exist, including nature conservation MPAs, special areas of conservation, special protection areas, sites of special scientific interest, and Ramsar sites, which cover wetlands of "international importance".

Scotland's marine protection measures explained

Why are green groups criticising the Scottish Government over MPAs?

Green groups claim that many MPAs are vulnerable to the impact of poorly-managed fishing such as scallop dredging and bottom trawling because ministers have failed to tighten laws on controversial fishing methods.

Scallop dredging and bottom-trawling - the most environmentally harmful forms of fishing - are restricted in less than five per cent of Scotland's seas. Scallop dredging involves heavy-duty metal framed nets being pulled over the seabed, while bottom-trawling involves nets towed to catch fish and other marine species close to the seabed.

In 2021 the Scottish Government said it was committed to establishing new fisheries management measures for MPAs by March 2024. But these commitments have been pushed back.

Attempts to strengthen protections for marine sea life ran into controversy, particularly the government's proposal to introduce highly protected marine areas (HPMAs). It was planned that these areas would cover about ten per cent of Scotland's seas, with a number of activities believed to put pressure on marine environments banned or severely restricted within their boundaries.

When the plan was announced, it was criticised by some in coastal communities as well as island and fishing industry organisations. The HPMA policy was shelved after this criticism and the response to a consultation, which showed strong opposition to the proposed plans.

Last year, the Our Seas coalition - which comprises more than 130 organisations including community groups, marine conservationists and fishers - claimed the biggest threat to the marine environment was the government's "ongoing failure to protect it due to broken promises and endless delays".

Scottish Government accused of "broken promises" over marine protection

In response, the Scottish Government told The Ferret that new measures to protect MPAs remain a "top government priority" and it is now consulting with a view to updating the Natio...

Top political donors, a Labour lord and Scottish football hero Ally McCoist have been among secret owners of a tax haven firm behind an elite Scottish golf club, The Ferret can reveal.

The 660-acre private Loch Lomond Golf Club hosted the Scottish Open and boasts a Georgian mansion, a spa within a historic walled garden, and dramatic lochside views to Ben Lomond.

But the club is open only to members who can join on a strict invite-only policy, and the entry fees - estimated at well over £100,000 today - mean the luxury is open only to a wealthy few.

As the club is ultimately owned and operated by a firm incorporated in the Cayman Islands, the names of its true owners are allowed to stay hidden due to secrecy provisions in the Caribbean tax haven.

But the once-secret shareholders of years past are named in leaked documents. They include Scottish Labour and the Scottish Liberal Democrats' biggest donor ahead of the last general election, Robin MacGeachy, top footballers and senior bankers.

The leaked Paradise Papers files were obtained by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists and the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, and shared with The Ferret.

Financial transparency would guarantee that, at a time when the UK is struggling, the Treasury's coffers are as full as possible.

Tom Brake, Unlock Democracy

One 2014 document from an offshore law firm shows that the Cayman entity, Loch Lomond Members Golf Club Limited, received nearly £50m from shareholders, members, and applicant members over just a few years.

There is no suggestion of tax abuse from the company, its shareholders or club members.

But a tax expert said tax avoidance and secrecy were the "two distinctive advantages" allowed by the club's Cayman Islands ownership, with neither "in the public interest for UK taxpayers".

The revelations prompted renewed calls from campaigners for the UK Government to force British overseas territories like the Caymans to introduce a public register of the beneficial owners behind companies incorporated there.

Billionaires, bankers and businessmen

Among the club's more than 500 named shareholders as of 2014 were the millionaire Labour lord and party donor, Baron Willie Haughey, billionaire Perthshire landowner Moshin Mohammed Mahdi Al Tajir, and the late billionaire motor magnate Arnold Clark.

Businessman Robin MacGeachy is a current director of the club. Since 2014, companies owned by MacGeachy - Peak Scientific, Dusty TLP, and Treeman Rockafella - have given nearly £2.7m to the Conservatives, Labour, and the Lib Dems.

The firms were both Scottish Labour and the Scottish Liberal Democrats' biggest donors ahead of the last general election, handing over £700,000 and £710,000 respectively.

Billionaires, lobbyists and a 'dark money' trust': Who funds Scotland's parties?

The contributions represented more than a third of Labour's donations and more than a half of the Lib Dems' in the three years preceding the 2024 general election, according to analysis of donations records by The Ferret.

Among top sportsmen on the shareholder list were footballers Ally McCoist, Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, cricket coach Paul Collingwood, former Manchester United director Roy Gardner, and golfer Gordon Sherry.

Senior bankers were well represented among shareholders. Barclays executives included current president, Stephen Dainton, former director of the bank's investment arm, John Porter, and ex-advisory board member of its wealth management division, Stuart Counsell.

Counsell was also deputy chief executive of Deloitte. Other shareholders linked to the accounting giant were then-vice chair Cahal Dowds, and former partner Donald Campbell.

Martin Gilbert, the former chair of Scottish Golf, current chair of and Revolut, and co-founder and former head of Aberdeen Asset Management, which later merged with Standard Life, also featured.

So too did Fahad Al-Rajaan, who, in 2020, was accused of embezzling around £680m from Kuwait's state pensio...

A global, right-wing petition site, set up by an anti-LGBT Spanish lawyer, is campaigning in Scotland to "protect" statues in Glasgow's George Square and persuade Tesco to reverse its decision to open its Stornoway store "on the Sabbath".

CitizenGO, was set up in 2013 to defend "life, family and freedom across the world" by Ignacio Arsuaga, whose conservative Catholic organisation, HazteOir, has similar aims. It claims to be formed by more than 18 million "active citizens stopping radical lobbies from imposing their agenda on society".

It says it is funded by "small online donations" made by thousands of people. But a 2021 report by the European Parliamentary Forum for Sexual and Reproductive Rights found it also had funding from wealthy EU and Russian individuals including some of its own board members.

The campaigning organisation says it is working from "a Christian perspective" with an aim of offering "all citizens and organizations a tool to participate in the improvement of our society". But serious concerns have been raised about its "anti-rights" stance, particularly on LGBT and gender issues and reproductive rights.

As well as Arsuaga, its board members include Brian Brown, the American activist and co-founder of the National Organisation for Marriage and president of the World Congress of Families, which opposes abortion, same-sex marriage, birth control and divorce. Previous speakers at its annual gatherings include hard-right leaders Viktor Orbán from Hungary and Matteo Salvini, Italy's deputy premier and transport minister.

For Fact's Sake podcast: How is misinformation fuelling the anti-abortion movement?

Others include Luca Volontè, the founder of Novae Terrae, an Italian foundation that lobbies against abortion, assisted suicide, same-sex marriage and secularism. In 2021 the Italian Christian politician was convicted of accepting bribes from Azerbaijan. He has denied wrongdoing.

CitizenGO are also campaigning in Scotland, launching two petitions last month.

Petitions on local issues

The first petition, titled 'Stand for Stornoway's sacred Sabbath: keep Tesco closed on Sundays' calls on the supermarket chain to reverse its decision to open on a Sunday, when Christian tradition dictates shops on the island of Lewis remain closed. The decision has attracted some local opposition with an earlier petition set-up by local Alasdair MacLeod in October.

The CitizenGO petition, created by its staff, was posted on 13 December last year and has been signed by 8,955 so far. CitizenGO does not publish the names or locations of signatories.

The petition alleges that the decision to open "not only disregards the local culture but also reflects a broader trend of eroding Christian customs across Scotland" adding, "accepting cultural erasure inevitably leads to its decline". It calls on signatories to "stand with us to preserve Stornoway's Sabbath" claiming "these customs are at the heart of our community and culture".

Another CitizenGO petition opposes Glasgow City Council's decision to remove statues from George Square. The council claims this is part of a planned refurbishment of the public square and says it intends for all the statues to return.

However the petition repeats suspicions raised that this is "cover" for the local authority to permanently remove statues of military figures such as Colin Campbell, who led the British army against the so-called Indian mutiny of 1857 - a rebellion against the British East India Company which saw hundreds of thousands of casualties.

It would be useful if they could spell out who is initiating their campaigns - local people or CitizenGo staff - and publish detailed accounts.

Tom Brake, Unlock Democracy

A council working group looking at the city's slavery and colonial legacy also identified a statue of John Moore,who is linked to the slave trade, having suppressed the 1796 slave revolt on the Caribbean island of St Lucia.

The CitizenGO petition accuses Glasgow City Council of "can...