24/04/2017 Reporting Scotland

Jeremy Corbyn has once again ruled out any pact with the SNP.

Campaigning today, the Labour leader said the SNP has "failed abysmally"

in the fight against poverty and inequality.

Mr Corbyn and the First Minister also addressed delegates

at the Scottish TUC conference in Aviemore, where Nicola Sturgeon

Here's our Political Editor, Brian Taylor.

Sunshine, snow and SNP posters on Jeremy Corbyn's to Aviemore.

He found the union company highly congenial.

We will never, ever apologise for the closeness of our

He pitched to the unions by saying he would scrap anti-union laws

The ?10 an hour living wage, ending zero hours contracts

and giving workers the right to take over companies

All of that requires power but Jeremy Corbyn dismissed any talk

Let us remember that the only real, Progressive Alliance is Labour

and the trade union movement working together, as it's always been.

As far as I'm concerned it always will be.

Behind me, the crowds of delegates streaming out

We had been hoping to interview Mr Corbyn and had been promised

We hoped to ask about Trident and other issues.

It turns out now we will not be able to interview

Mr Corbyn, will you answer any questions?

As he left, Jeremy Corbyn paid no attention to the pursuing

An hour later, the snow still falling, enter Nicola Sturgeon

thought she took questions from the media scrum and two

of the stalls and said Scotland's real choice was to elect SNP

A vote for the SNP is about to ensure a strong

voice against the Tories, strong protection for Scotland

and the party that will stand up for Scotland.

Is he not right you cannot form a government full Scotland?

This is about who can best protect Scotland from the Tories.

Inside the hall, Nicola Sturgeon warned that Brexit

We would be more likely to see the erosion of

With that, the politicians vanished from the scene and so did the snow.

Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have also

Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie staged a photcall

in a chip shop, while Tory leader Ruth Davidson met

We know after the polls at the weekend that the Scottish

Conservatives are in the driving seat to take on Nicola Sturgeon.

To say no to a second and referendum.

We are the best bet to take seats back off the SNP.

What you'll get with Liberal Democrats in this election is,

the more Democrat MPs he gets, the stronger the case will be

for rejecting a hard, Conservative Brexit.

We need a strong opposition in this country.

A 48-hour strike on Virgin Trains east coast route next Friday

The RMT union said progress had been made in talks to settle a dispute

The trial of the former Rangers owner, Craig Whyte, has heard

he told the club's directors he would use

He's accused of pretending he had the funds needed

to acquire the Ibrox club in 2011.

Here's our correspondent David Henderson.

Craig Whyte, the accused, arriving at court this morning.

He is accused of committing fraud in his takeover of Rangers.

Donald Macintyre spent the day in the witness box.

He was the club's finance director in the run-up

The jury heard Rangers was deep in debt

with bank borrowings at one point of over

?30 million and was under pressure to change that.

Long-time backer Sir David Murray had stepped back as well.

Mr McIntyre told the jury the economics of the world had

changed and the realisation was there was no longer backing

from Murray International, of the finances of the club.

Craig Whyte made an offer to buy Rangers.

The court heard he came here to Murray Park,

the club's training ground, to meet members of the board.

They pressed him for assurances, that he would not put

season-ticket holders' money at risk.

The reply was that it was 100% guaranteed.

The prosecutor asked the witness if he was interested to note

from Craig Whyte what was the source of the funds from any takeover.

The question was asked as to where the funds were coming from.

Mr Whyte said, the funds were coming from himself.

In his cross-examination, the defence QC, Donald Findlay,

asked, Lloyds Bank wanted out, didn't they?

They were putting a squeeze on the company.

Mr McIntyre said the bank had threatened to withdraw bank

facilities if the transaction with Craig Whyte had not gone ahead.

He said the bank was saying it wanted the transaction

Craig Whyte denies both charges against him and the trial continues.

Scotland's curry houses are blaming strict immigration rules

It's all down to the difference between

Here's our social affairs correspondent, Reevel Alderson.

Preparing for the evening rush, up to 3000 meals leave this kitchen

each week for diners in the restaurant or as takeaways,

I have three chefs from India, as a result of bringing them over

a few years ago I have been able to create 55 jobs in this business

We're at the point of expanding our business.

If I was to bring over another two we would be able to increase

the number up to 95 employees from this one establishment alone.

But these home deliveries are putting those plans in jeopardy.

UK immigration rules don't allow restaurants which serve takeaway

meals to recruit non-EU workers, however skilled they may be.

Obviously many diners continue to enjoy having a curry

But increasingly people are turning to their mobile phones

and the variety of apps to allow them to order takeaway.

But if a restaurant offers that service, it is restricted

The UK Government immigration criteria lay down a minimum

salary of almost ?30,000 a year per chef.

It takes into account previous experience

and the establishment it will work on.

Recruitment agencies say this shows the government

They have totally misunderstood and misconceived the industry

as being a low-skill, low-paid job base which it is not.

The biggest consequence to this is the skills erosion.

It's affecting the product that the public are being served.

The industry, worth an estimated ?4 billion a year to the UK economy,

says up to three establishments are closing each month and a scheme

launched in 2012 to attract UK nationals to work in

the Indian restaurant sector failed through lack of applicants.

The largest turbine steam ship ever to be built on the Clyde,

the TS Queen Mary, is being brought back to her former glory

with the help of the newest generation of sea-farers -

students from Glasgow's nautical college.

It was the largest turbine steamship build on the Clyde,

She took up to 2000 passengers every day doon the watter from the heart

of Glasgow all the way to the resort carrying ordinary men,

working men and women away from the grime of industrial

A very important working role, but like most things as the years

went by she gradually took on more of a cruising profile until 1977,

when sadly there was not enough work for her and she was retired

and went down south to London for further service

Last year after a legal battle she was towed home to Glasgow.

She is now being refurbished, scraping back 40 years

Under an inch and a half deck was in surprisingly good condition.

They will now restore it and protect it against the Glasgow climate.

Down below they are discovering similar qualities of

The internal deck was covered with an oak floor

which again has preserved the teak.

This is some of the nicest preserved part of the vessel, this teak.

Again it will be restored, sanded, looked after and oiled.

There is a lot of goodwill towards this project,

much of the material having been donated by Scottish companies.

A lot of the heavy labouring work is being done by students

And the internal design has been created by a Dundee student.

They do not want the Queen Mary to be a museum,

as to them it is important the ship is sustainable so they can look

A turbine engines might have been removed so her days of travelling up

But with the effort of these students and many others her future

is secured as a visitor attraction here on the Clyde.

After a bitterly cold day, Judith has the weather.

they bitterly cold as we head into the evening. There is quite a

covering of snow across northern Scotland as we speak. There is a Met

Office the were warning about snow for northern Scotland, the Grampian

area and parts of East Lothian and the eastern borders, as well and

even at lower levels, as well. You can see from the pressure chart,

plenty of snow as we head through the course of the night. Lots of dry

weather for the rest of the UK, and the widespread frost, so it might be

a cold start to the day and there will be a risk of ice to bear in

mind. But actually, a lovely start for many, with plenty of showers

across northern Scotland as those wins start to pick up as we head

through the day. A chilly start, sunshine for the south-east and

west, some showers, wintry showers across eastern and northern Scotland

and into the Northern Isles. The showers will continue to affect the

North. Here, to the south, a lot of dry weather, actually with some

showers and dispose of sunshine. Wintry showers for Northern Ireland.

For Eastern England we will see a number of showers brought in by the

strong, brisk and cold northerly wind. It will feel bitterly cold

across the eastern side of the country. Temperatures across

southern parts around 13 Celsius so much colder here in Scotland and

suddenly feeling colder in those northerly winds. We could see Gales

and northern areas. More showers to come for the North and East. And dry

overnight tomorrow with a widespread frost. On Wednesday, we start to see

high-pressure blocking out those arctic winds. So, Ashley, a largely

dry, milder day on Wednesday. Just a little bit of patchy rain feeding

into the far north, eventually.