Finlay Whiteford, associate, looks at the top stories for the week ahead.
It’s all change at the Scottish Parliament this week with the debut of a new Tuesday edition of First Minister’s Questions, exclusively for backbench MSPs. The updated setup requires members to press their button to ask a question from the floor, and these questions are no longer published in advance. Thursday FMQs will continue with party leaders.
Although there is less certainty because questions won’t be given ahead of time, we expect further scrutiny from all parties following the guilty plea of former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell in relation to embezzlement of funds.
In a high-profile interview, a tearful Nicola Sturgeon told Laura Kuenssberg yesterday that she does not bear responsibility for recovering funds from Peter Murrell’s embezzlement, and had no knowledge of her then-husband’s crimes against the SNP.
She spoke shortly after the publication of a Norstat poll in The Sunday Times which found that by a margin of three-to-one, the Scottish public doubts Sturgeon's strenuous denials (£).
Former first minister Jack McConnell has also joined Scottish opposition leaders calling for a public inquiry into the SNP’s finances (£), though all indications are that this will not take place.
In a busy week for Holyrood, we also anticipate the announcement of committees and their convenerships in the coming days.
Meanwhile, Scotland’s national men’s football team departed Glasgow yesterday ahead of a friendly match against Bolivia in New Jersey later this week. That will be the final preparation for our World Cup campaign, which kicks off on 14 June.
In brief - Scotland's economy and business
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Scotland’s businesses are more confident in their trading outlook than they were in April, according to the Bank of Scotland’s latest Business Barometer. Increases were driven by stronger customer demand and optimism around new products and the adoption of AI, which 42% of businesses identified as a target area for growth.
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Newspapers owned by DC Thomson, including the Sunday Post, The Courier and the Press and Journal, are launching a new campaign to change rules around business rates relief on vacant properties. In a joint piece by the editors, they call for new occupiers’ reliefs to be granted irrespective of how long their property had lain empty – rather than current rules which apply only after six months.
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The UK’s defence investment plan, due to be published last autumn, is still “weeks” away (£), according to work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden. Sources told The Telegraph that a combination of higher debt and spending cuts in other areas will fund the strategy, expected to contain plans for a replacement of the RAF’s Typhoon fighter jet fleet.
- A new report by the Scottish Futures Trust has suggested periods of free electricity for Scottish households could help to ease cost-of-living pressures while reducing constraint payments made to energy firms. The infrastructure body also calls for the further electrification of home heating and transport, and suggests data centres as an outlet for excess electricity generation.
OpinioNation - columns of interest
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Scotland’s hospitality businesses face an “unfair fight” (£) to win over tourists due to high VAT rates and the cost of living – so writes Cala Hotels director Stuart Beaufoy in The Scotsman. When competing with European destinations, he argues, the sector has its hands tied due to rising costs which firms struggle to absorb.
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Recent reforms to Holyrood procedures, focusing on sharper and less scripted exchanges, are worthy of “genuine praise”, argues Tory MSP Stephen Kerr in The Scotsman. With further change, he adds, the new session of parliament could make politics “more relevant to the lives of ordinary Scots” and change democracy for the better.
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Hannah Brown writes for The Herald that despite the sympathies some may hold for Nicola Sturgeon, the recent embezzlement case against her ex-husband has exposed lasting questions about complaint handling and oversight (£) in the SNP, separate to personal circumstances.
- David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, objects to “ministerial meddling” in his sector (£) amid uncertainty over the Scottish Government’s promised food price cap. He adds that cabinet members’ efforts would be better spent on reducing regulatory and energy costs for businesses rather than stymieing growth.
Shifting the dial - recent research
With sunny weather and a summer of sport ahead of us, you might be forgiven for thinking Scots are getting a little more optimistic at this time of year.
The Diffley Partnership’s Understanding Scotland economy tracker provides a more nuanced picture of our attitudes. More than three quarters of those polled last month said the economy was worse than a year ago (77%), and the cost of living surpassed the NHS as the most important issue facing Scotland.
However, the survey recorded its highest-ever figure for those who said the country is heading in the right direction – at 30%. Those in the western Central Belt were most likely to agree, while those in the north of the country were the most pessimistic.
The week ahead - fill your diary with key events
Monday
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Westminster
- Oral questions (defence)
- The Scottish Affairs Committee begins a three-day visit to the Western Isles
- UK manufacturing purchasing managers’ index released
- Nationwide House Price index released
- Release of second tranche of documents on Peter Mandelson’s appointment
- Anthropic co-founder Daniela Amodei at Snowflake 2026 conference
Tuesday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- General questions
- First Minister’s Questions (backbench members)
- Scottish Government debate: Summer of Sport
- Committee announcements
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Westminster
- Oral questions (energy and net zero)
- Strikes by London Underground staff in the RMT union
- Michelle Obama appears at SXSW London
Wednesday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- Scottish Government debate: investing, protecting and renewing Scotland’s NHS
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Westminster
- Prime Minister’s Questions
- OECD publishes its global economic outlook
- UK services purchasing managers’ index released
Thursday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- General questions
- First Minister’s Questions (party leaders)
- Update expected on the Coalsnaughton ground movement crisis
- UK construction purchasing managers’ index released
- HESA graduate outcomes survey results released
Friday
- British Retail Consortium’s monthly economic monitor released
- Halifax House Price Index
Saturday
- Women’s singles final at Roland Garros
- Scotland v Bolivia (2100) and England v New Zealand (2100)