The Sunday Herald's Investigations Editor Paul Hutcheon has said, external three senior SNP MSPs have proposed they fight the next general election together with the Scottish Green Party and Scottish Socialist Party.

Mr Hutcheon writes: "Leaked emails reveal that three Nationalist MSPs, including an aide to the outgoing First Minister, would like to contest May's Westminster poll as either a "Yes Alliance" or a "Scotland Alliance"."

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland news

Back in 2004, Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon stood on what was seen as a joint ticket although the election for SNP leader and deputy leader are separate votes. You don't buy one and get one free.

It is not clear if Ms Sturgeon - assuming that she declares herself a candidate in the next few days - if she will choose to run with a deputy leadership contender or allow there to be a contest and work with whoever wins that contest.

Among the people whose names are most often mentioned, the External Affairs Minister Humza Yousaf, the Local Government Minister Derek Mackay, Richard Lochhead, Shona Robison, Angela Constance have been suggested by some. Nobody declared so far, and I don't think that contest will really get under way until the leadership process becomes clearer.

Ross Hawkins
Political correspondent, BBC News

The rocks would melt with the sun before I'd ever set foot in the House of Lords, Alex Salmond tells Sky

Ed Miliband said: "I know we've got a big job to do, to reach out to those people who voted Yes who are Labour voters.

"We're going to show that we're going to make a difference. It's people on low and middle incomes who don't think their hard work is being rewarded and we are going to change that."

Asked if Gordon Brown was likely to ask him for a job, Labour leader Ed Miliband told the Andrew Marr Show: "I don't think that's going to happen. He played an important role in the referendum but he's not going to come back to front-line politics in Britain."

"I think the parties are, by in large, in agreement on a lot of things," says Lord Smith of Kelvin, the man tasked with bringing more devolved powers to Scotland.

"I've just come off the Commonwealth Games and people said that might not have gone quite so well. I enjoy a challenge."

The SNP's chief executive Peter Murrell confirms that more than 8,000 people have signed up to join the Scottish National Party since the independence referendum vote.

There has also been an increase in Scottish Green Party membership with more than 2,000 new joiners.

Ed Miliband on Alistair Darling's future: "I think he played an incredibly important role in the referendum. He's a very strong member of Labour's team but he's got to make his own decision about what he wants to do."

Lord Smith of Kelvin, the man tasked with overseeing the process of bringing more devolved powers to Scotland, has told BBC Radio Scotland his task it to get the energy from the millions of Scots who voted and "transfer it into action now".

He said: "First of all, I will be speaking to all the political parties. Secondly, I am going to reach out to the institutions - the trade unions, voluntary groups. I want to get back to them and say 'tell me again what exactly you think should change here to make life better'.

"Thirdly, I want to reach out to the people of Scotland who may not be involved in these institutions , may not be involved in these political parties.

"4.2m people means most of the people in Scotland were involved in this and I want to hear from them, so I am going to try and find a way to reach out and get feedback from all of them."

Who is Lord Smith? Read our profile here.

Ed Miliband said, under Labour, 16 and 17-year-olds would be able to vote in general elections - just as they did in the Scottish referendum.

He said: "We can't go back on this now. It wasn't our original proposal to have 16 and 17-year-olds vote in this referendum but I'm glad it happened.

"I was on the campaign trail in Scotland talking to young people who were making very sensible thoughts about the future."

James Cook
Scotland Correspondent, BBC News

John Swinney also tells BBC Radio Scotland: "I will be backing Nicola Sturgeon for leader, enthusiastically and energetically."

James Cook
Scotland Correspondent, BBC News

Scotland's finance secretary John Swinney suggests the SNP will argue for devolution of all powers except defence and foreign affairs, during talks on Scotland's future. He says if the UK parties "don't honour in full their commitments" then "No" voters will believe they were "utterly deceived".

Prime Minister David Cameron has posted a Facebook status, external outlining exactly why he believes the rest of the UK must have the same powers due for Scotland.

Mr Cameron writes: "But this moment must not just be about securing Scotland's future in the UK - and celebrating that fact - but settling other questions whose time has come.

"The challenge is to make sure our UK works for all nations. Millions of people in the rest of the UK have been listening to these debates, watching this campaign and rightly asking: 'What will change for us? Why can't we have the same powers and the same rights as those in Scotland?'

"These are questions the Conservative Party itself has been asking for a long time."

When asked if the Barnett formula, which calculates the budget given to Scotland, is unjust, Mr Miliband said: "The Barnett Formula has served us well and should continue because it is oriented towards need. For example, Scotland has more older people and there is a greater need.

"But there is a big injustice here, which is the way public spending is apportioned in England. There are huge issues about what the government has done to the poorer areas of this country."

Kevin Pringle, SNP strategic communications director and former special advisor to Alex Salmond, has penned a tribute to the first minister in the Sunday Post, external.

Mr Pringle writes: "He entered public life because he has a positive vision for the future of Scotland. And his instinct in every situation is to work with others in the best interests of Scotland who may not share that vision."

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland news

I think either a coronation or a contest for the new SNP leader is possible but at this moment in time it seems to me a coronation is more likely.

While there are some in the party that think a contest would be desirable as that is the democratic way and it would confer legitimacy on whomever becomes the leader, no-one really seriously thinks anyone other than Nicola Sturgeon would win a contest so some are asking 'what's the point?'

Some of the other big names who might fancy their chances are ruling themselves out.

The Labour leader said he is not in favour of a separate English parliament with an extra tier of English MPS.

He said: "I am in favour of one House of Commons with 650 MPs because we've fought tooth-and-nail over the last two years to avoid our parliament being split up."

Ed Miliband has denied losing the votes of Scottish MPs could cost Labour a future majority at Westminster. He told the Andrew Marr show: "The history is that when Labour have won majorities in the United Kingdom, we've won majorities in England too."

Ed Miliband on the row over English votes for English laws: "We've spent two years trying to keep our country together. Let's have a proper constitutional convention, let's look at the issues, but let's not drive our country apart."

@testedbylife tweets, external: #Miliband on #Marr Not his, Miliband, best performance. Unfortunate start to a critical 6 months

@BrynTeilo tweets, external: #Miliband wants to preserve the #Westminster parliament as is. That sums him up.