Douglas Ross and Nicola Sturgeon again clashed over the CalMac ferries row
The Scottish Conservative leader highlighted that former Ferguson shipyard owner Jim McColl yesterday accused the first minister of a lie
Nicola Sturgeon's claim that the contract saved Ferguson Marine was untrue according to Mr McColl - which "shredded" her excuse, argues Ross
The FM hit back, pointing out Mr McColl was not a "disinterested" party, but accepted the delays and cost overruns were "deeply regrettable"
The two party leaders then held a hustings-style clash with each listing issues that backed their party
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar pressed Ms
Sturgeon about what he claimed were total cuts in Scottish council budgets
of £6bn since 2013
The FM said the figure was
misleading and insisted council budget cuts have been higher under a
Labour government in Wales than the SNP in Scotland
Mr Sarwar says the FM should
"stop pretending she is in opposition" after 15 years in
government
The FM claims the
"summit of Labour's ambition" is to finish second in the council
elections, but the SNP's is to win and continue "delivering
improvements for people across Scotland"
That's all from the live page team today. Please join us for extensive coverage of the local government election results on Friday 6 May.
WATCH AGAIN: From ferries to councils - Ross and Sarwar tackle Sturgeon
Scottish council elections: Local issues and national questions
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Background
By James Cook, BBC Scotland editor
Polling in the local elections takes place in a week of key political anniversaries.
It's a quarter of a century since Tony Blair skipped into Downing Street after New Labour's first landslide election win.
And it's 15 years since the Scottish National Party upset Labour's apple cart by taking charge at Holyrood.
Looking back, what is striking is the extraordinarily short gap — historically speaking — between those two events, evidence of just how quickly Scotland's political landscape shifted around the turn of the century.
The defining event of that era, of course, was the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament which had been suspended in 1707 with the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain.
But another, much lower profile, reform also played a part.
In 2003, the Liberal Democrats' price for entering into a coalition with Jack McConnell's Labour at Holyrood was a change to the voting system used for local government, from a first-past-the-post system to one of proportional representation.
FM should 'stop pretending she is in opposition' - Sarwar
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Mr Sarwar says Labour councillors are doing everything they can to protect "decimated communities" from the cost-of-living crisis.
He cites payments to low-income households in Inverclyde and discounted rail ravel for over-60s in West Lothian as examples of where Labour have made a difference.
Mr Sarwar claims the SNP prefers to make it a constitutional debate and after 15 tears in government, the FM should "stop pretending she is in opposition" and "act to stand up for the people of Scotland".
Ms Sturgeon responds with a list of some of her government's achievements - including welfare fund support, establishing the Scottish Child Payment, and the carer's grant supplement.
People will have the opportunity to cast their verdict in Thursday's local council elections, she says, adding the "summit of Labour's ambition" is to finish second whereas her goal is to win the election "so the SNP can go on delivering improvements for people right across Scotland".
Sarwar's £6bn figure 'highly misleading' - FM
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Ms Sturgeon says the "facts are not going to suit Mr Sarwar" and reels off another list of statistics comparing Labour's record in Wales to the SNP's in Scotland.
She says his £6bn figure is "selective" and "highly misleading" because it "completely ignores" £3.6bn of cumulative revenue funding since 2013.
He is "deliberately ignoring" £2bn of additional funding for expanding early learning and childcare and £720m that goes straight to head teachers for support for the most vulnerable children in Scotland, the FM insists.
She says the SNP also has had to "pick up the pieces" of the equal pay scandal that Labour presided over.
"Labour robbed women across Glasgow of money that was rightfully theirs and I am proud that an SNP administration paid them that money back," she adds.
FM has 'handed down Tory cuts to local government' - Sarwar
BBCCopyright: BBC
Mr Sarwar says the FM must be "desperate" if she is "talking about Wales" rather than Scotland.
He says the answer to his original question about core council budget cuts is £6bn since 2013-14, including over £1bn in Glasgow alone.
The Scottish Labour leader says this means one in eight libraries have shut since 2010 and there are fewer staff, more charges and less frequent collections for street cleaning after a £320m cut, and a £1.7bn backlog in pothole repairs.
The FM has "taken a Tory cut, multiplied it and handed it down to local government", he says.
Councils 'doing better under SNP in Scotland than Labour in Wales' - FM
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Nicola Sturgeon says the Scottish government budget has been cut by over 5% by Westminster, while council total funding from Holyrood is up by 6% in real terms.
Since 2013-14, local authority revenue funding is up by £2.2bn, the FM maintains, which she says is 22.9% higher in cash terms this year than it was in 2013-14.
That compares to 7.3% in Wales, where Labour is in government, over the same period, Ms Sturgeon says.
Councils are "doing rather better under the SNP in Scotland than they are doing under Labour in Wales," she adds.
Sarwar asks FM about council budget cuts
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar says, right across Scotland, local council budgets have been slashed since the SNP came to power.
He asks the first minister what the total cut in core budgets has been since 2013.
The party leaders move to local issues
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images
The Scottish Conservative leader turns to local issues and insists the SNP have let people down - and Labour helped them do it.
Mr Ross insists his councillors will focus on local issues.
The first minister points out Tory and Labour have been propping each other up in Aberdeen.
She accuses Douglas Ross of not being a leader but a follower.
Mr Ross details a number of issues where money has been lost including at the BiFab fabrication yards, the worst A&E waiting times on recorc and the highest level of drug deaths in western Europe.
The first minister points out BiFab is still operational and A&E's performance in Scotland is the best in the UK and has been for six years.
She too continues a long list, this time of SNP government accomplishments.
There definitely is an election in the air.
The first minister concludes with a reference to the worst thing of all at Westminster, "Boris Johnson".
'I do not regret the fact that there are 400 people employed' - Sturgeon
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Ms Sturgeon says she said 400 people are currently employed and never said that was the case at the time of the contract announcement.
She points out Jim McColl invested his money and "people can make up their own mind".
The first minister says: "I do not regret the fact that there are 400 people employed at that shipyard today."
'Hasn't your main excuse just been shredded'? - Ross
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Nicola Sturgeon and Jim McColl at the launch of the ferries dealImage caption: Nicola Sturgeon and Jim McColl at the launch of the ferries deal
The Scottish Conservative leader again accuses the first minister of "weasel words".
Mr Ross says Jim McColl called Nicola Sturgeon out for lying.
He says Mr McColl has said the jobs at Fergus Marine were safe and he adds "the jobs were never at risk".
"Hasn't your main excuse just been shredded, perhaps like that vital missing document?"
Ms Sturgeon points out Mr McColl is not a disinterested objective observer on these matters and stands behind what she said on Monday on BBC Scotland's GMS.
FM reiterates deep regret over ferries delay and cost overrun
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Mr Ross asks if the first minister understands the anger of the public when she uses "weasel" words rather than apologising.
The first minister hits back saying there is a lot of anger across Scotland and adds Douglas Ross will feel the full force of that tomorrow.
Nicola Sturgeon insists she has made it very clear the delays and cost overruns are "deeply regrettable".
She insists she will not apologise for a decision that has led to creating and sustaining 400 jobs.
Nicola Sturgeon accused of 'lie' over ferry contract
Video content
Video caption: Businessman Jim McColl disputes shipyard closure claimBusinessman Jim McColl disputes shipyard closure claim
Background
The former Ferguson shipyard owner has accused Nicola Sturgeon of lying when she said it would have shut without the contract to build two CalMac ferries.
Jim McColl also disputed the first minister's claim that the contract had saved 400 jobs - because the yard had only employed 150 people at the time.
Mr McColl has previously claimed the contract to build Glen Sannox and Hull 802 was awarded for political reasons.
The ferries are now five years behind schedule and massively over budget.
Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, Mr McColl was asked about comments made by the first minister on Monday when she said the yard would have closed and 400 people would not currently be employed at the yard if it had not been given the contract in 2015.
Live Reporting
BBC Scotland News
All times stated are UK
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images -
Douglas Ross and Nicola Sturgeon again clashed over the CalMac ferries row
-
The Scottish Conservative leader highlighted that former Ferguson shipyard owner Jim McColl yesterday accused the first minister of a lie
-
Nicola Sturgeon's claim that the contract saved Ferguson Marine was untrue according to Mr McColl - which "shredded" her excuse, argues Ross
-
The FM hit back, pointing out Mr McColl was not a "disinterested" party, but accepted the delays and cost overruns were "deeply regrettable"
-
The two party leaders then held a hustings-style clash with each listing issues that backed their party
-
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar pressed Ms
Sturgeon about what he claimed were total cuts in Scottish council budgets
of £6bn since 2013
-
The FM said the figure was
misleading and insisted council budget cuts have been higher under a
Labour government in Wales than the SNP in Scotland
-
Mr Sarwar says the FM should
"stop pretending she is in opposition" after 15 years in
government
-
The FM claims the
"summit of Labour's ambition" is to finish second in the council
elections, but the SNP's is to win and continue "delivering
improvements for people across Scotland"
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BBCCopyright: BBC 
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Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images View more on twitterView more on twitter 
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PA MediaCopyright: PA Media Nicola Sturgeon and Jim McColl at the launch of the ferries dealImage caption: Nicola Sturgeon and Jim McColl at the launch of the ferries deal View more on twitterView more on twitter 
Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images Video caption: Businessman Jim McColl disputes shipyard closure claimBusinessman Jim McColl disputes shipyard closure claim - Read more here
- Shipyard boss says ferry costs should not increase
- The lifeline ferry deal that went adrift
- The problem with CalMac's ageing ferries
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Latest PostFMQs: The headlines
That's all from the live page team today. Please join us for extensive coverage of the local government election results on Friday 6 May.
WATCH AGAIN: From ferries to councils - Ross and Sarwar tackle Sturgeon
Scottish council elections: Local issues and national questions
Background
By James Cook, BBC Scotland editor
Polling in the local elections takes place in a week of key political anniversaries.
It's a quarter of a century since Tony Blair skipped into Downing Street after New Labour's first landslide election win.
And it's 15 years since the Scottish National Party upset Labour's apple cart by taking charge at Holyrood.
Looking back, what is striking is the extraordinarily short gap — historically speaking — between those two events, evidence of just how quickly Scotland's political landscape shifted around the turn of the century.
The defining event of that era, of course, was the re-establishment of the Scottish Parliament which had been suspended in 1707 with the creation of the Kingdom of Great Britain.
But another, much lower profile, reform also played a part.
In 2003, the Liberal Democrats' price for entering into a coalition with Jack McConnell's Labour at Holyrood was a change to the voting system used for local government, from a first-past-the-post system to one of proportional representation.
Read more on this story here.
FM should 'stop pretending she is in opposition' - Sarwar
Mr Sarwar says Labour councillors are doing everything they can to protect "decimated communities" from the cost-of-living crisis.
He cites payments to low-income households in Inverclyde and discounted rail ravel for over-60s in West Lothian as examples of where Labour have made a difference.
Mr Sarwar claims the SNP prefers to make it a constitutional debate and after 15 tears in government, the FM should "stop pretending she is in opposition" and "act to stand up for the people of Scotland".
Ms Sturgeon responds with a list of some of her government's achievements - including welfare fund support, establishing the Scottish Child Payment, and the carer's grant supplement.
People will have the opportunity to cast their verdict in Thursday's local council elections, she says, adding the "summit of Labour's ambition" is to finish second whereas her goal is to win the election "so the SNP can go on delivering improvements for people right across Scotland".
Sarwar's £6bn figure 'highly misleading' - FM
Ms Sturgeon says the "facts are not going to suit Mr Sarwar" and reels off another list of statistics comparing Labour's record in Wales to the SNP's in Scotland.
She says his £6bn figure is "selective" and "highly misleading" because it "completely ignores" £3.6bn of cumulative revenue funding since 2013.
He is "deliberately ignoring" £2bn of additional funding for expanding early learning and childcare and £720m that goes straight to head teachers for support for the most vulnerable children in Scotland, the FM insists.
She says the SNP also has had to "pick up the pieces" of the equal pay scandal that Labour presided over.
"Labour robbed women across Glasgow of money that was rightfully theirs and I am proud that an SNP administration paid them that money back," she adds.
FM has 'handed down Tory cuts to local government' - Sarwar
Mr Sarwar says the FM must be "desperate" if she is "talking about Wales" rather than Scotland.
He says the answer to his original question about core council budget cuts is £6bn since 2013-14, including over £1bn in Glasgow alone.
The Scottish Labour leader says this means one in eight libraries have shut since 2010 and there are fewer staff, more charges and less frequent collections for street cleaning after a £320m cut, and a £1.7bn backlog in pothole repairs.
The FM has "taken a Tory cut, multiplied it and handed it down to local government", he says.
Councils 'doing better under SNP in Scotland than Labour in Wales' - FM
Nicola Sturgeon says the Scottish government budget has been cut by over 5% by Westminster, while council total funding from Holyrood is up by 6% in real terms.
Since 2013-14, local authority revenue funding is up by £2.2bn, the FM maintains, which she says is 22.9% higher in cash terms this year than it was in 2013-14.
That compares to 7.3% in Wales, where Labour is in government, over the same period, Ms Sturgeon says.
Councils are "doing rather better under the SNP in Scotland than they are doing under Labour in Wales," she adds.
Sarwar asks FM about council budget cuts
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar says, right across Scotland, local council budgets have been slashed since the SNP came to power.
He asks the first minister what the total cut in core budgets has been since 2013.
The party leaders move to local issues
The Scottish Conservative leader turns to local issues and insists the SNP have let people down - and Labour helped them do it.
Mr Ross insists his councillors will focus on local issues.
The first minister points out Tory and Labour have been propping each other up in Aberdeen.
She accuses Douglas Ross of not being a leader but a follower.
Clash of lists
Mr Ross details a number of issues where money has been lost including at the BiFab fabrication yards, the worst A&E waiting times on recorc and the highest level of drug deaths in western Europe.
The first minister points out BiFab is still operational and A&E's performance in Scotland is the best in the UK and has been for six years.
She too continues a long list, this time of SNP government accomplishments.
There definitely is an election in the air.
The first minister concludes with a reference to the worst thing of all at Westminster, "Boris Johnson".
'I do not regret the fact that there are 400 people employed' - Sturgeon
Ms Sturgeon says she said 400 people are currently employed and never said that was the case at the time of the contract announcement.
She points out Jim McColl invested his money and "people can make up their own mind".
The first minister says: "I do not regret the fact that there are 400 people employed at that shipyard today."
'Hasn't your main excuse just been shredded'? - Ross
The Scottish Conservative leader again accuses the first minister of "weasel words".
Mr Ross says Jim McColl called Nicola Sturgeon out for lying.
He says Mr McColl has said the jobs at Fergus Marine were safe and he adds "the jobs were never at risk".
"Hasn't your main excuse just been shredded, perhaps like that vital missing document?"
Ms Sturgeon points out Mr McColl is not a disinterested objective observer on these matters and stands behind what she said on Monday on BBC Scotland's GMS.
FM reiterates deep regret over ferries delay and cost overrun
Mr Ross asks if the first minister understands the anger of the public when she uses "weasel" words rather than apologising.
The first minister hits back saying there is a lot of anger across Scotland and adds Douglas Ross will feel the full force of that tomorrow.
Nicola Sturgeon insists she has made it very clear the delays and cost overruns are "deeply regrettable".
She insists she will not apologise for a decision that has led to creating and sustaining 400 jobs.
Nicola Sturgeon accused of 'lie' over ferry contract
Video content
Background
The former Ferguson shipyard owner has accused Nicola Sturgeon of lying when she said it would have shut without the contract to build two CalMac ferries.
Jim McColl also disputed the first minister's claim that the contract had saved 400 jobs - because the yard had only employed 150 people at the time.
Mr McColl has previously claimed the contract to build Glen Sannox and Hull 802 was awarded for political reasons.
The ferries are now five years behind schedule and massively over budget.
Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, Mr McColl was asked about comments made by the first minister on Monday when she said the yard would have closed and 400 people would not currently be employed at the yard if it had not been given the contract in 2015.
FMQs finally begins...and ferry row rumbles on
Douglas Ross begins by highlighting that a quarter of a billion pounds has been spent on the botched Ferguson shipyard deal "and not a ferry built".
The Scottish Conservative leader says the "crucial document" detailing why this "awful decision was made has disappeared".
He says all we hear from the first minister is that this is "regrettable".
Switching it off and on again...
Our colleague Phil Sim has the potential answer to the mystery in the chamber.
A brief suspension
There appear to be some technical issues with the microphones in the chamber at Holyrood.
Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone has suspended proceedings to fix the glitch.
We'll bring you FMQs as soon as it gets under way.
FMQs to get under way in a moment...
After a brief suspension, proceedings will get under way.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross will get to his feet to begin his questions to the first minister.
Welcome
Welcome to our live coverage of the final first minister's questions before the council elections.
FMQs may resemble a local government hustings today as all the parties scramble to secure your votes.
We'll bring you full coverage and analysis of the proceedings at Holyrood, as opposition party leaders joust with Nicola Sturgeon.