Go Radio Politics Show: February 1st, 2026.

This is a catch-up version of Bernard Ponsonby's live, weekly Sunday show on Go Radio.

Scottish politics roars back as Bernard Ponsonby returns with a packed panel and a poll that could reshape Holyrood.

In an episode the conversation dives straight into the political tremors shaking Scotland ahead of the upcoming election.

Bernard is joined by:

Paul Sweeney (Scottish Labour)

Douglas Lumsden (Scottish Conservatives)

Thomas Kerr (Reform UK Scotland)

Alex Kerr (SNP)

Together, they unpack the latest YouGov poll, the surge of Reform UK in Scotland, the fight for economic credibility, and the relentless turbulence threatening party leaders in Westminster.

Episode Highlights

A Poll Rocks the Landscape

The episode opens with a blockbuster YouGov poll:

SNP still out in front—but 14 points down from 2021.

Reform UK surges to 20%, disrupting the old order.

Labour and Conservatives slump.

A projected pro‑independence majority re‑emerges at Holyrood.

The panel debates:

Can the SNP really be “home and dry”?

Are Labour and the Tories simply waiting for a miracle?

Is Reform’s rise a protest, a movement—or the start of something bigger?

Can Reform UK’s Tax Cuts Add Up?

Thomas Kerr unveils Reform UK Scotland’s flagship tax proposal:

Immediate 1p income‑tax cut, rising to 3p by term end.

£2–4 billion cost, but few details on savings.

The exchange is lively and reveals the tension between message politics and mathematical reality.

The Tax Debate That Won’t Die

SNP and Labour defend Scotland’s progressive tax model, arguing:

Most Scots pay less.

Public services benefit.

Fiscal drag is a necessary tool.

Reform and the Conservatives fire back:

Economic Growth: The Missing Ingredient

Bernard pushes each guest to outline a real strategy for boosting Scotland’s stagnant economic growth.

Labour call for major capital investment and industrial strategy.

Conservatives champion oil, gas, and competitive tax structures.

The SNP highlight Scotland’s relative UK outperformance and blame Brexit constraints.

Reform UK double down on their low‑tax, growth‑led model.

Westminster Turmoil & The Farage Factor

From Tory defections to Labour's internal rumblings, national politics is in chaos:

Suella Braverman joins Reform—another blow to the Conservatives.

Labour battles internal factionalism after the Burnham row.

Nigel Farage looms large, courting disaffected voters across the spectrum.

Bernard poses the big question: Are we heading for the first election in generations where both governing and opposition parties collapse simultaneously?

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