From our archives

5 years ago

Campaigners have hailed a major breakthrough for beard wearers after a second Scots-born Cabinet minister dispensed with the razor blade. Work and Pensions Secretary Stephen Crabb became the first Conservative Cabinet minister for more than a century to sport a beard. Now David Mundell, pictured, the Scottish Secretary, has been pictured with a beard. The Beard Liberation Front believes it is adding up to a political revolution for lovers of the fashion.

10 years ago

The SNP have published their long-awaited report card of four years in office, asserting the claim – much-derided by opponents – that as a minority government they achieved 84 out of 94 main pledges. Rival parties were quick to denounce the document yesterday, but detailed analysis of flaws in the SNP claims were much slower to emerge and less clear even than the SNP’S original claims about what constituted headline pledges.