John Cumming, senior client manager, looks at the top stories for the week ahead.
If you spot extra-wide smiles on the faces of Scotland’s rail commuters this morning you’ll know why: peak fares have been scrapped. For good. As an example, the cost of my commute from Glasgow Queen Street into the office will reduce by around 50%, saving me a chunky £1300 a year. I’m delighted, naturally. But the real test will be whether this very significant fare reduction will tempt new commuters out of their cars and onto the trains. A previous test was inconclusive. Otherwise, at a time when public money is tight, it might just be remembered as a pre-election gift for a small number of Scots.
Commuting will be on the minds of our parliamentarians this week, with both the Scottish and UK parliaments returning from summer recess. For many MSPs, the summer break will have been their last chance to recuperate before the 2026 Holyrood election campaign gets into gear over the coming weeks.
With opinion polls showing consistently strong support for Reform UK in Scotland, and the defection of Graham Simpson (from the Conservatives) solidifying its platform north of the border, it seems certain Nigel Farage's party will be a key force in the May 2026 poll, and beyond.
In brief - Scotland's economy and business
Glasgow was the recipient of more good news yesterday. A £10 billion deal with the Norwegian navy will bring more than 2000 jobs to BAE Systems' Glasgow shipyards where five new frigates are to be built. The Ministry of Defence also confirmed that more than 100 Scottish supply chain businesses will benefit from the deal, delivering a major economic boost. The UK managed to fend off France, Germany and the United States to secure the contract, with Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, saying that the deal "represents a historic strengthening of the defence cooperation between our two countries".
Daily Business highlights a new report by Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) which warns that without tax reform, North Sea oil and gas production could collapse “within years”. It proposes scrapping the energy profits levy and introducing a price-triggered tax mechanism, cutting the headline rate from 78% to 40% but ensuring extra revenue when prices are high. OEUK says this would secure £41bn of new investment, support 23,000 jobs, and deliver £12bn in additional tax revenue, boosting the UK economy by £137bn.
As part of The Herald’s investigation into the future of Dumfries and Galloway, Ian McConnell interviewed businessman Benny Higgins on the challenges facing the region, as well as the key sectors which could drive growth and prosperity. Higgins stressed the need to create higher-paid, skilled jobs to retain talent. He also identified renewable energy, peatland restoration, and tourism as key growth sectors, urging the area to “play to its strengths”.
OpinioNation - columns of interest
Writing for The Times, Trevor Phillips argued that facts alone cannot resolve Britain’s asylum crisis, with the debate being rooted in identity and emotion rather than data. He says that protests over asylum hotels show mistrust of government explanations and resentment at being dismissed as bigotry. Phillips suggests rewriting international conventions if necessary, tackling illegal work through digital ID, and adopting US-style private sponsorship schemes as examples of the decisive action required to create a more compassionate system while also addressing growing public concern.
The CEO of Scotland’s National Robotarium at Heriot-Watt University, Stewart Miller, argued in The Scotsman that a Scottish robotics cluster would help to drive economic growth and efficiencies within our public services. Miller highlights that many Scottish startups that are focused on robotics struggle to grow. He believes that this new initiative would unite research, industry, and government, streamlining support without new funding, and help the country secure a share of the $218 billion global market, which robotics is expected to achieve by 2030.
The Herald’s education specialist, James McEnaney, has written a column saying education in Scotland risks being consumed by party politics, with the topic set to be turned into a political football ahead of next year’s election. McEnaney believes this risks overshadowing urgent issues such as violence in classrooms, pupil wellbeing and struggling rural schools, and that there needs to be a much more serious debate on education reform.
The week ahead - fill your diary with key events
Monday
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House of Commons:
- MPs return from recess
- Jamie Stone to lead a debate on devolution in Scotland
- Election: voters in Guyana head to the polls
Tuesday
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House of Commons:
- Foreign Office ministers take questions from MPs in the chamber
- MPs to debate the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill at stage 2
- Putin: Russian president visits Beijing for talks with president Xi Jinping
- UK Greens: leadership election results to be announced
- Vietnam: military parades to celebrate 80 years of independence
Wednesday
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House of Commons:
- First session of PMQs post-recess
- Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey and officials to appear before the Treasury Committee
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Holyrood:
- DFM Kate Forbes and finance secretary Shona Robison to take questions from MSPs in the chamber alongside junior ministers
- Tourism industry representatives to give evidence at the Economy and Fair Work Committee
- Farage: Reform UK leader to appear before the US House Judiciary Committee in Washington, DC, giving evidence on European threats to American free speech and innovation
Thursday
-
Holyrood:
- First minister John Swinney to take questions from MSPs in the chamber for the first time since summer recess
- Bob Doris to lead a debate on the abolition of peak rail fares
- Energy secretary Gillian Martin and transport secretary Fiona Hyslop to take questions from MSPs in the chamber alongside junior ministers
-
House of Commons:
- Environment questions
- NATO: secretary general Mark Rutte to address the IISS Prague Defence Summit
- Canada: 50th Toronto International Film Festival begins
Friday
- First day of the Reform UK conference in Birmingham
- Strikes: RMT tube strikes to begin
- Stats: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) releases its retail sales figures
Saturday
- Canonisation: London-born teenager Carlo Acutis, who died in 2006, to officially become a saint
- Film: winners announced at the Venice Film Festival
Sunday
- Alert: UK national emergency alert system to be tested at around 3pm
- Unions: Trades Union Congress to begin
- Tennis: last day of the US Open