Weather fells Scottish minister

A new Scottish transport minister has been announced, one day after Stewart Stevenson bowed to pressure and resigned.

Keith Brown moves from his post as minister for skills and lifelong learning to take over responsibility for transport in First Minister Alex Salmond's SNP Scottish Government.

Mr Stevenson quit his job following fierce criticism of his handling of the chaos caused by the unusually cold weather, which saw hundreds of motorists stranded overnight on gridlocked roads.

Heavy snow and freezing temperatures paralysed the travel network earlier this week, with major routes shut and severe disruption to rail journeys.

The Banff and Buchan MSP – who claimed there had been a first-class response – later said he regretted not having done more to communicate with the public about the extraordinary conditions. Mr Brown, a former Marine who served in the Falklands, has been MSP for Ochil since May 2007.