Aoife Hollywood, senior client manager, looks at the top stories for the week ahead.
Conservative Party conference continues in Birmingham this week, with Kemi Badenoch closing proceedings on Wednesday as she seeks to give the party a clearer ideological identity. Her new 100-page document, The Right Way, deliberately echoes Margaret Thatcher’s 1976 The Right Approach, setting out a platform centred on a smaller state, lower taxes, fewer regulations and greater personal responsibility. The question this week will be whether Badenoch can turn that clearer sense of direction into broader public support.
For Scotland, shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie will today set out plans for new nuclear power, arguing that the country should not be ruled out as the location for a new large-scale reactor. The announcement will put fresh focus on the SNP’s opposition to new nuclear, with Torness currently scheduled to close in 2030. It follows Russell Findlay’s conference speech yesterday, in which he attacked the SNP’s push for a second independence referendum and launched the party’s proposed Benefit Fraud Bill, which would double the maximum sentence for benefit fraud to 10 years and introduce tougher measures to recover overpayments.
Meanwhile, Andy Burnham will travel to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Tuesday. The visit comes as his government looks to reset the UK’s relationship with Europe. Reports that No 10 has been gathering evidence on public support for rejoining the EU, alongside polling showing 49% of voters support re-entry, will add interest to Burnham’s discussions in Berlin.
Thursday brings the Holborn and St Pancras by-election, with Green Party leader Zack Polanski seeking to turn the party’s recent electoral gains into a Westminster foothold. At the Green Party conference in Brighton, Polanski argued that Green electoral gains are pushing Labour towards a more progressive agenda, while the conference also passed a controversial motion defining Zionism as racism, exposing divisions within the party and prompting criticism from Jewish groups and several senior Greens. Labour remains the clear favourite to hold Keir Starmer’s former seat, making the result an important test of Polanski’s leadership and the Greens’ momentum.
The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in Oslo on Friday, with the recipient of the 2026 award revealed after the prizes for science and literature are announced throughout the week.
In brief - Scotland's economy and business
Daily Business reports that more than 200 projects across the South of Scotland could unlock £32bn of investment and support 8,000 long-term jobs. The research, commissioned by South of Scotland Enterprise, covers sectors including clean energy, advanced manufacturing, technology, life sciences and tourism. Deputy first minister Jenny Gilruth will discuss the findings at the Convention of the South of Scotland in Dumfries later today.
Scottish salmon exporters are backing Andy Burnham’s move towards closer ties with the EU, with The Times reporting that Salmon Scotland wants fewer trade barriers, less paperwork and faster access to European markets. The EU remains the sector’s biggest regional export market, with Scottish salmon sales worth almost £350m last year. This comes as four major producers begin a five-day trade mission to India following the removal of a 33% import tariff, with Salmon Scotland estimating exports to India could be worth up to £131m over the next decade.
Scottish Retail Consortium director David Lonsdale calls for tougher action on rising retail crime, with shoplifting up 88% over the past three years and 3,900 incidents of threatening or abusive behaviour towards shopworkers recorded in the past year. He is calling for a stronger long-term commitment from Police Scotland, increased funding for the Retail Crime Taskforce and faster court proceedings for prolific offenders, while warning that measures such as food price caps could put further pressure on retail staff.
OpinioNation - columns of interest
Writing in The Sunday Times, Robert Colvile argues that the diesel crisis has exposed the UK’s dangerous lack of energy resilience. He points to the decline of domestic refining capacity, low fuel reserves and Britain’s growing reliance on imported oil and gas, arguing that government policy has left the country vulnerable to global disruption. With diesel prices hitting record highs and the energy price cap set to rise again in January, Colvile says the crisis demonstrates the gap between Labour’s long-term focus on decarbonisation and the immediate need to secure Britain’s energy supplies.
Against the backdrop of Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, The Scotsman’s Westminster correspondent, Andrew Quinn, looks at the renewed confidence within the Scottish Tories following the party’s Aberdeen South by-election victory. He argues that the result has dramatically shifted the party’s mood after its disastrous Holyrood election, where it fell to fifth place and lost 19 MSPs, but warns against reading too much into one result. Quinn draws parallels with Scottish Labour’s overconfidence after its Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election win, arguing that the Conservatives still face a fundamental challenge to re-establish themselves as Scotland’s main party of the right.
Martin Roche uses the EU’s proposed Industrial Accelerator Act to question whether the UK has an industrial strategy capable of matching the scale of the economic challenge it faces. In The Herald, he contrasts Brussels’ push to expand manufacturing and direct investment towards European firms with the UK’s more limited approach, including projects such as new floating drydocks at Faslane. With the EU accounting for 41% of UK exports, Roche argues that Britain’s exclusion from European decision-making is becoming an economic liability, making the case for a fundamental rethink of the UK’s relationship with Europe.
Shifting the dial - recent research
As the Conservatives gather in Birmingham, YouGov polling shows some improvement in Kemi Badenoch’s ratings and the party’s potential support, but a significant gap remains between a better mood and public confidence. The proportion of Britons willing to consider voting Conservative has risen six points over the past year to 28%, while Badenoch’s leadership ratings have improved sharply. However, 59% still believe the Conservatives are not ready for government, compared with 20% who think they are, while majorities continue to see the party as out of touch and untrustworthy.
The week ahead - fill your diary with key events
Westminster is in recess until 12 October.
Monday
- Conservative conference continues
- Sweden: Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine announced
Tuesday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- General Questions
- First Minister’s Questions (Backbench Members)
- Ministerial Statement: Improving Outcomes for Neurodivergent People, Autistic People and People with Learning Disabilities
- Scottish Government Debate: Scotland’s Prosperity and Future in Europe
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In the Holyrood committee rooms
- Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee: The Committee will take evidence as part of its scrutiny preceding the Scottish Government’s Budget 2027-28
- Education and Gaelic Committee: Pre-budget scrutiny 2027-28 including evidence from Màiri McAllan, Cabinet Secretary for Education, Culture and Gaelic and Siobhian Brown, Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise
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Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee: The Committee will take evidence on the Local Culture Scotland report as part of its scrutiny preceding the Scottish Government’s Budget 2027-28
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham meets German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin
- Conservative conference continues
- Chancellor John Healey expected to meet banking chief executives
- France: Paris Fashion Week concludes
- Sweden: Nobel Prize in physics announced
- UK: Financial Conduct Authority holds its annual public meeting in Edinburgh, attended by chair Ashley Alder and CEO Nikhil Rathi, in which the regulator answers questions about its operations.
Wednesday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- Portfolio Questions: Deputy First Minister Responsibilities, Finance and Local Government, Parliamentary Business and Veterans; Public Service Reform, Europe, External Affairs and Energy
- Scottish Government Debate: Supporting Scotland's Fishing Industry
- Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Debate: Scottish Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund
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In the Holyrood committee rooms
- Rural Affairs Committee: Evidence on the Rural Support Plan, and pre-Budget scrutiny and Programme for Government
- Transport Committee: Evidence on Islands and Regional Air Travel
- Finance and Public Administration Committee: Evidence on Public Office (Accountability) Bill (UK Parliament legislation) and on the Air Departure Tax (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2026
- Joshua Kerry, man charged with murdering Ann Widdecombe and preparing terrorism acts, including against Reform UK Leader Nigel Farage, due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court
- IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva gives a curtain-raiser speech in Singapore ahead of this month’s IMF and World Bank annual meetings
- UK: Lloyds House Price Index and Q3 ICAEW Business Confidence Monitor
- Shell Q3 quarterly update
- Conservative Party conference in Birmingham finishes with the keynote speech by leader Kemi Badenoch
Thursday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- General Questions
- First Minister’s Questions (Party Leaders)
- Ministerial Statement: Planning for Winter and Improving Hospital Flow
- Scottish Government Debate: Strengthening Scotland’s Cyber Resilience
- Holborn and St Pancras by-election takes place. The result will be revealed after votes are counted overnight
- UK: KPMG/REC Report on Jobs
- Tesco HY results
Friday
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Scottish Government data
- Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) Weighted Scotland Estimates, Wave 165
- Andy Burnham convenes Creative Industries AI Summit in Manchester with speeches from Culture Minister Ian Murray (10.15 a.m.) and Greater Manchester Mayor Bev Craig (11.30 a.m.)
- British Retail Consortium September footfall monitor
- Norway: Nobel Peace Prize winner announced in Oslo
Saturday
- World Mental Health Day