John Swinney blasted over pre-election bribe after confirming the NHS will enjoy World Cup bank holiday on the day parliament closesMany local authorities have confirmed they will not be recognising the bank holiday including the Scottish Parliament in a blow to the SNP leaderView 2 Images John Swinney has been criticised over his pre-election bribe (Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire.) John Swinney has been blasted over his pre-election bribe after confirming on the last day of parliament NHS workers will be entitled to the World Cup bank holiday. “The bank holiday, which isn’t even on the day Scotland are playing, may seriously harm Scotland’s economy and disrupt businesses. “I want to ensure that our hard-working NHS staff have that opportunity, so I am pleased to confirm all NHS Scotland staff will benefit from the extra holiday. “The efforts of NHS staff have seen waits of over a year decreasing for eight consecutive months and new outpatient waits over a year more than halving since July 2025.

Source: Express March 26, 2026 11:58 UTC