Aoife Hollywood, senior client manager, looks at the top stories for the week ahead.
Was your commute a little different this morning? Travel disruption is expected across Scotland today after the country’s busiest rail station, Glasgow Central, was closed following a major blaze in neighbouring buildings on Union Street. Part of a building collapsed during the fire, prompting Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to deploy 15 appliances and three high-reach vehicles. While Network Rail says no significant damage has been identified to the station itself, disruption is expected throughout the day and it is still unclear when the station will reopen.
While that story is dominating front pages in Scotland, global attention remains focused on conflict in the Middle East, with policymakers and markets on edge as the war caused crude oil prices to surge and markets to slump. Finance ministers from the G7 countries will gather, virtually, at an emergency meeting this afternoon to discuss the economic impact of events in Iran and elsewhere in the region.
Two weeks into that conflict and Britain’s cautious, defensive stance remains under scrutiny at home and abroad. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has sought to portray continued cooperation with the US on defence while maintaining the right to make decisions in the UK’s national interest. That said, tensions with the US may affect the King’s planned state visit at the end of April, with Whitehall sources describing a “wobble” following Donald Trump’s public criticism.
Reform UK’s Robert Jenrick said the UK’s limited naval presence and refusal to allow US use of British bases left Britain reliant on France while the US assembled its largest regional fleet in decades. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp called the absence of UK warships a “dereliction of duty,” and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch urged more decisive action against Iranian missile sites. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper pushed back firmly on the Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, stating that UK decisions should be guided by national priorities and lessons from past conflicts, not pressure from allies.
Several economic updates are due to be released this week, including February inflation figures from the US, China, and Germany, alongside US GDP estimates, all reflecting a period before the recent airstrikes and associated disruption. Updated fourth-quarter data from the US and Japan will follow, while the UK releases its first estimate of January economic growth.
In Scotland, Holyrood is in the final sprint of its legislative year, racing to complete outstanding bills before the election period begins. MSPs will vote at Stage 3 this week on:
- Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill
- Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill
- Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill
- Greyhound Racing (Offences) (Scotland) Bill
In brief - Scotland's economy and business
Iain Macwhirter writes that the widening US-Israel war with Iran, which has pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel, the highest level since 2022, highlights the dangers of Britain abandoning its North Sea oil and gas reserves. Macwhirter argues that fossil fuels are a strategic resource essential for national security, saying that doing without them is “like losing an army,” and relying on foreign oil leaves the UK exposed in a volatile global market.
Recycling company Levenseat Resource Management (LRM) has secured an £8m investment from Levenseat Investments (LVS), led by green technology entrepreneur Chris Walker, chairman of Muirhall Energy. The package includes a £4m working capital facility, while Walker joins the board alongside financial specialist Alan Frain, to support the company’s next phase of growth.
As reported widely on Friday, C&C Group, the Irish company behind Magners and Bulmers, has acquired the Innis & Gunn brand and associated intellectual property in a £4.5m pre-pack administration. The Perth brewery and three taprooms in Edinburgh and Glasgow will close with the loss of around 100 jobs, while C&C plans to continue brewing Innis & Gunn beers at its Glasgow site. The move secures the future of the brand but highlights ongoing pressures on Scotland’s smaller beverage producers.
OpinioNation - columns of interest
Writing in The Sunday Times, Charlotte Ivers argues that the war with Iran exposes the fragility of the globalised world many Britons grew up taking for granted. She says decades of economic integration, cheap goods, travel and interconnected supply chains assumed relative geopolitical stability, meaning distant conflicts can now quickly affect everyday life in the UK through energy prices, shortages and economic shocks. As conflict spreads, Ivers argues that the comfortable global order that underpinned modern lifestyles looks increasingly precarious.
Veteran foreign affairs editor Simon Tisdall argues that the US-Israeli war against Iran is illegal and escalating dangerously. Writing in The Guardian, Tisdall accuses Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu of undermining international law and destabilising the global order. He contends that Britain should view Trump as a threat to democratic norms and reconsider its dependence on the US, urging Keir Starmer to distance the UK from Washington’s actions.
Drawing on Ipsos polling, Rachel Ormston writes in The Herald that the 2026 Scottish Parliament election is shaping up to be a volatile affair, with the SNP still leading and Reform UK, Scottish Labour and the Scottish Greens all competing for second place. Around 40% of voters say they could still change their minds and with all major party leaders having negative approval ratings, the campaign could shift significantly before polling day.
Shifting the dial - recent research
Belated good wishes for International Women’s Day yesterday. According to YouGov, most Britons believe more needs to be done on gender equality, particularly on tackling sexual misconduct, misogyny in schools, and the gender pay gap.
The public strongly supports government measures like blind hiring (65%), mandatory classes for boys on misogyny (64%), and equal prize money in sports (67%), though support drops for enforcing 50/50 political candidate targets (35%).
Women, younger people, and Labour, Lib Dem, and Green voters are most likely to push for change, while Conservative and Reform supporters are less convinced. Across generations, younger Britons are also more willing to take action personally, from challenging sexist language to donating to gender equality causes.
The week ahead - fill your diary with key events
Monday
-
Westminster
- Oral questions to the secretary of state for work and pensions, Pat McFadden MP
- Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill: Consideration of Lords amendments including social media age limit
- Adjournment debate from Dame Caroline Dinenage MP on potential merits of reforming the regulation of funeral directors
- Foreign Affairs Committee: Evidence from senior figures from X, Meta and on foreign disinformation campaigns
- House of Lords: Examine the Crime and Policing Bill in report stage, and 'tidy up' the Tobacco and Vapes Bill
- China: February consumer price index (CPI) and producer price index (PPI) inflation rate data
- UK: KPMG/REC UK Report on Jobs
- US: The Conference Board February Employment Trends Index
- 250th anniversary of Scottish economist and philosopher Adam Smith publishing his book, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
- Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey marking the annual celebration of the Commonwealth of Nations
Tuesday
-
In the Holyrood chamber
-
Stage 3 Proceedings: Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill
-
-
In the Holyrood committee rooms
- Finance and Public Administration Committee: Scottish Spending Review 2026 and Infrastructure Delivery Pipeline 2026: The Committee will take evidence from Shona Robison
- Health, Social Care and Sport Committee: The Committee will take evidence on the supplementary legislative consent memorandum on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill (UK Parliament legislation); Committee will take evidence on Public Health Scotland In the Holyrood committee rooms
-
Westminster
- Oral questions to the chancellor of the exchequer, Rachel Reeves
- UN Security Council discusses Iran sanctions
- Climate and Energy Summit 2026, a two-day event held online and in person by Chatham House in London
- British Retail Consortium February Retail Sales Monitor
- China: January trade data
- Start of four days of horseracing at the Cheltenham Festival
Wednesday
-
In the Holyrood chamber
- Portfolio Questions: Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, and Parliamentary Business; Justice and Home Affairs
- Ministerial Statement: Skye House: Progress and Assurance
- Stage 3 Proceedings: Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill
-
In the Holyrood committee rooms
- Rural Affairs and Islands Committee: Follow-up inquiry into salmon farming in Scotland: The Committee will take evidence from cabinet secretary, Mairi Gougeon
-
Scottish Government data
- Disability and Transport: Findings from the Scottish Household Survey, 2024
-
Westminster
- Oral questions to the Minister for Women and Equalities, Bridget Phillipson MP
- Prime Minister’s Questions
- Finance (No. 2) Bill: Remaining stages
- Energy Security and Net Zero Committee: Oral evidence on Warm Homes Plan
- UK-Ireland Summit
- EU defence ministers due to meet in Cyprus
- OPEC Monthly Oil Market Report
- US: February CPI inflation rate, plus real earnings data
Thursday
-
In the Holyrood chamber
- First Minister’s Questions
- Portfolio Questions: Education and Skills
- Ministerial Statement: Tackling Child Poverty Delivery Plan
- Stage 3 Proceedings: Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill
- Stage 3 Proceedings: Greyhound Racing (Offences) (Scotland) Bill
-
Scottish Government data
- Business Insights and Conditions Survey (BICS) Weighted Scotland Estimates, Wave 151
-
Westminster
- Oral questions to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Peter Kyle MP
- IEA Oil Market Report
- UK: Rics Residential Market Survey
Friday
- House of Lords: Detailed line by line examination of the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
- Monthly U.K. GDP estimate
- US: updated Q4/2025 GDP estimate, plus January Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (Jolts)
- Liberal Democrat party spring conference begins in York
Saturday
- US and Japan co-host Indo-Pacific energy security ministerial and business forum
- Conclusion of the Six Nations rugby tournament
Sunday
- Ed Davey speech to Lib Dem Spring conference
- Mother's Day
- 98th Academy Awards, the Oscars