Rebecca Mason, associate, looks at the top stories for the week ahead.
School’s officially out for Holyrood this week as the legislative year ends and the Scottish Parliament enters the pre-election period on Thursday.
More than a third of the current MSP Class of 2026 are stepping down, including seasoned veterans, ex-first ministers, and even fresh faces who served just one term. While there could be some big-name returns from outside the parliament, polls suggest Reform UK is poised to add some more unknown quantities to Scotland’s political landscape following May’s election.
Over the weekend, Reform UK’s Scottish leader, Malcolm Offord, had to defend North East Fife candidate Linda Holt after she called former SNP first minister Humza Yousaf an “Islamist moron.” Speaking to BBC Scotland’s The Sunday Show, Offord insisted his candidates are “real people with real opinions” and that Holt would make an “effective MSP” if elected.
Before Holt and other candidates begin campaigning in earnest, Holyrood is racing to complete outstanding business.
On Tuesday, Scotland’s Climate Change Plan: 2026 – 2040 will be laid before parliament. Ministers aim to address concerns raised during the Plan’s 120 days of parliamentary scrutiny, including around governance and delivery, multi-year funding, UK government co-ordination and transparency of modelling. MSPs will also vote at Stage 3 on the Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill and Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill this week.
Across the border, prime minister Keir Starmer will chair an emergency Cobra meeting later today, where the escalating conflict in the Middle East and its impact on the UK’s economic security are expected to dominate proceedings. This comes as chief executive of British Gas owner Centrica warned a rise in energy prices may be “inescapable” if the situation “stays as it is.”
Volatility around the Iran war fallout is also likely to filter into a revision of immediate and longer-term forecasts. February’s inflation figures – due on Wednesday – are expected to remain relatively steady, but Sanjay Raja, Deutsche Bank’s chief UK economist, warned that inflation has “rarely been more uncertain than it is now,” with experts now predicting it to exceed 4% during the second half of 2026.
In brief - Scotland's economy and business
Postal workers in Scotland are sounding the alarm that Royal Mail is in “chaos” and could face collapse by the end of the decade. The Herald highlights warnings from the Communications Workers Union (CWU) about the risk to timely delivery of postal ballots for May’s Holyrood election, with staff citing decaying infrastructure and a two-tier employment system the cause of a mass exodus of new recruits since privatisation. Without urgent reform, CWU warns the service faces the real possibility of total failure, with profound implications for Scotland’s communities and the broader economy.
Three quarters of people want the UK to produce more oil and gas at home rather than reply on imports, according to a new report by Offshore Energies UK, due to increasing energy and economic security concerns. Some argue this would support job opportunities and revenues for the North East, while others warn it would not lower prices due to volatile global markets, with geopolitical tensions in the Middle East rising oil costs.
Scotland has become the first in the UK to trial newborn screening for Spinal Muscular Atrophy. All babies as of today will now receiving a heel prick test and reviewed by the Scottish Newborn Screening Laboratory in Glasgow as part of a two-year pilot aimed at enabling earlier, life-changing treatment for those with the condition.
OpinioNation - columns of interest
The Scottish Government cites AI data centres as key drivers of economic development and net zero ambitions. However, Martyn McLaughlin writes in The Scotsman that these projects are driving increasing concern among environmental groups and community campaigners who warn the substantial energy and water demands of these projects. With vague planning regulations around “green projects,” McLaughlin highlights calls for stricter regulation, greater transparency from Scottish and UK governments, and temporary moratoriums on data centres while environment impacts are adequately assessed.
Do as I say, not as I did. Reflecting on former first minister Nicola Sturgeon’s farewell speech to the Scottish Parliament, in The Sunday Times Alex Massie argues that while she offered some sound advice to politicians to “make friends in other parties,” and recognise that “opponents need not be enemies,” her own leadership at times often failed to reflect these important principles. Massie contends she showed little effort to engage with political rivals beyond allies like the Scottish Greens and that her combative style in parliamentary debate undermined the respectful political culture she now advocates. While Sturgeon’s reflections may be sincere, they come too late to redefine her legacy.
The nostalgic Watt Brothers in Glasgow, once a classic all-purpose department store, met its decline amid the fall of the high street in 2019. Now, Matt Smith in The Herald focuses on the redevelopment efforts by entrepreneurs Sandy Easdale and James Easdale, whose revised, more sensitive hotel plans for the building have now been approved, highlighting a broader argument that Glasgow’s regeneration depends on balancing heritage, with the development bringing jobs, visitors, and renewed economic activity back to Sauchiehall Street.
Shifting the dial - recent research
Charlotte Street Partners and the Diffley Partnership published its latest Understanding Business quarterly report today, which measures the outlook, perceptions and challenges for business across Scotland.
March’s results provide a clear and timely view of how Scottish businesses are responding to a climate marked by economic strain and political uncertainty. Key findings include:
- Confidence in the economy sees a clearer shift toward pessimism, with over half (53%) expecting general economic conditions to worsen over the next 12 months, a seven-point rise since December. More businesses are expecting a year defined by stability over growth, with only 38% anticipating an increase in profitability.
- More than two-in-five (42%) company bosses stated they would not hire any of Scotland’s political party leaders, with current first minister John Swinney as the second most popular response at 24%. On wider recruitment, skills and experience gaps have intensified, a 5-point jump to 59%.
- Almost two-thirds (62%) of firms anticipate raising their prices in the next three months, with utilities (36%) and fuel costs (28%) the most frequently cited drivers of those increases, rising by 13 points since December.
- Over half of Scottish business leaders (55%) support the proposed June 2026 bank holiday, with 49% of supports believing it would boost national morale and many highlighting benefits to local events and tourism (38%).
The week ahead - fill your diary with key events
Monday
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Westminster
- Oral questions: Home Office
Tuesday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- Topical Questions
- Ministerial Statement: Scotland’s Climate Change Plan: 2026 – 2040
- Stage 3 Proceedings: Visitor Levy (Amendment) (Scotland) Bill
- Stage 3 Proceedings: Crofting and Scottish Land Court Bill
- Motion on Legislative Consent: Tobacco and Vapes Bill – UK Legislation
- In the Holyrood committee rooms
- Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee will consider a draft legacy report
- Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee will consider the Non-Domestic Rates (Miscellaneous Amendment) (Scotland) Regulations 2026
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Westminster
- Oral questions: Energy security and Net Zero
- Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee – Oral evidence: Preventing waste and enabling a circular economy
- Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee – Oral evidence: Pre-legislative scrutiny of the draft Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill
- Defence Committee – Oral evidence: One-off session on the impact of the delay to the Defence Investment Plan on industry
- UK: Starmer to appear before the Liaison Committee on defence, the Middle East, and the UK’s economic security
Wednesday
- In the Holyrood chamber
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- General Questions
- First Minister’s Questions
- Portfolio Questions: Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands; Health and Social Care; Social Justice and Housing
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Scottish Government Data
- Community and Locally Owned Energy Scotland, 2025
- GDP Monthly Estimate, 2026 M1 January
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Westminster
- Oral questions: Northern Ireland
- Prime Minister’s Question Time
- Scottish Affairs Committee – Oral evidence: Connectivity in Scotland – Digital connectivity
- Transport Committee – Oral evidence: Supercharging the EV transition
- Energy Security and Net Zero Committee – Oral Evidence: Energy resilience
- UK: Inflation figures published
Thursday
- Holyrood enters pre-election period
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Scottish Government Data
- Poverty in Scotland, 2021 – 2011 to 2022 - 2024
- Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland, 2022 - 2025
Friday
- Westminster enters recess
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Consulting Scotland
- Consultation on onshore electricity generation: increasing the threshold for applications under The Electricity Act closes
Saturday
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British Summer Time begins