Sophie Taylor, senior associate, looks at the top stories for the week ahead.
Would you trust Keir Starmer to take a penalty kick? Unlike the Dandy Dons who slotted four in the corner to take the Scottish Cup, the suspicion is that Labour would somehow trip over its own feet from 12 yards, unlike the other team in red.
To this end, the coming week looks set to be dominated by Labour handling U-turns with claims Keir Starmer told cabinet ministers he wants to scrap the two-child benefit cap, requesting the Treasury identify how to fund the move. Meanwhile, on the government’s winter fuel plans, deputy prime minister Angela Rayner told Sky News Labour will “do something around the eligibility” when “economic conditions allow”, which could be revealed in the coming weeks.
Tomorrow, King Charles will be the first reigning monarch in 50 years to address the state opening of the Canadian parliament, where he will set out the legislative agenda of Canada’s new prime minister, Mark Carney. Donald Trump’s passion for our royals is only matched by his desire to take over Canada, so we wait in anticipation to see how the president covers this cognitive dissonance on social media.
The weekend also saw two former first ministers warn the Supreme Court’s judgement on the definition of a woman has been misinterpreted (£). Nicola Sturgeon repeated calls for the UK government to amend the Equality Act if it harms the lives of trans people, and Humza Yousaf told Times Radio the SNP mishandled efforts to make it easier for people to legally switch gender.
And it’s a busy one at Holyrood this week with debates on growing community-owned energy in Scotland and plans for Scotland’s teaching workforce, as well as a ministerial statement on responding to RAAC in the public sector.
Expect a series of Q1 GDP estimates from across the world, too, with Scotland’s first estimate for this quarter announced on Wednesday.
In brief - Scotland's economy and business
Scotland will be hosting at least two Euro 2028 matches and experts have warned the new bill the Scottish Government aims to introduce in advance, which would allow Scottish courts to fine those reselling tickets for profit, fails to target entities at the root of the issue that bulk-buy tickets (£). The legislation as it stands would cost taxpayers £400,000, and suggested measures to expand it could inflate this figure.
Venue operators and producers told The Herald that Edinburgh’s Fringe festival could soon be at “breaking point” because of dramatically escalating costs (£). Edinburgh’s popularity as a tourism destination, new city council restrictions on the short-term letting of properties and the impact of concerts at Murrayfield Stadium clashing with the Fringe have all been blamed.
Ahead of next week’s by-election in South Lanarkshire, Reform UK has spent the most of all parties on digital ads (£) in a bid to compensate for a lack of traditional campaign infrastructure in Scotland and secure the party’s first Holyrood seat.
OpinioNation - columns of interest
With the arrival of Reform candidate councillor Ross Lambie, next week’s by-election in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse seat feels a little too familiar to Iain Macwhirter. Drawing parallels with a similar situation in Govan 40 years ago (£), when the SNP were the populist party nabbing votes from the Labour establishment, Macwhirter argues in The Sunday Times that Scottish politics has turned full circle.
Claer Barrett shows that in times of crisis, having established and strong relationships with your customer base can be a saving grace (£). Writing in the Financial Times, Barrett analyses the role that customer loyalty has played in attitudes towards the M&S cyber-attack.
“It costs more not to invest in children than it does to invest in them”, former prime minister Gordon Brown argues in a short clip from The New Statesman’s latest podcast episode. Brown contends that the two-child benefit cap ought to be scrapped, arguing that treating a third child as a “second-class citizen” in this regard is “cruel”.
The week ahead - fill your diary with key events
Westminster is in recess until 2 June 2025.
Monday
- Spring Bank Holiday
- King Charles and Queen Camilla kick off Canada visit, meeting with Canadian prime minister Mark Carney
Tuesday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- Scottish Government Debate: Growing Community Owned Energy in Scotland
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In the Holyrood committee rooms
- The Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee will consider the Housing (Scotland) Bill at Stage 2 (Day 5)
- The Finance and Public Administration Committee will take evidence on the Care Reform (Scotland) Bill and on the cost-effectiveness of Scottish public inquiries
- The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee will take evidence on the Right to Addiction Recovery (Scotland) Bill and on a legislative consent memorandum for the Employment Rights bill (UK parliament legislation)
- The Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee will take evidence on a legislative consent memorandum for the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (UK parliament legislation), the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland Amendment Regulations 2025, and the Deposit and Return Scheme for Scotland (Designation of Scheme Administrator) Order 2025
- The Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee will take evidence on the Civil Legal Aid Inquiry
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Scottish Government data
- Best Start Grant and Best Start Foods, Statistics to 31 March 2025
- NHS Waiting Times, May 2025 Release
- King Charles delivers speech to mark opening of Canadian parliament
- US ambassador Peter Mandelson speech to the Atlantic Council in Washington
- SpaceX Starship orbital test flight
- EU General Affairs Council meeting in Brussels, Belgium
- Reports: British Retail Consortium May Shop Price Index
Wednesday
-
In the Holyrood chamber
- Portfolio Questions: Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands: Health and Social Care
- Scottish Liberal Democrats Debate: A New Plan for Scotland’s Teaching Workforce
- Scottish Liberal Democrats Debate: Addressing the Inadequate Provision for Neurodevelopmental Conditions
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In the Holyrood committee rooms
- The Rural Affairs and Islands Committee will take evidence on the Natural Environment (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1
- The Economy and Fair Work Committee will take evidence on regional inequalities and productivity
- The Education, Children and Young People Committee will take evidence on the Tertiary Education and Training (Funding and Governance) (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1
- The Public Audit Committee will take evidence on the Scottish National Investment Bank
- The Criminal Justice Committee will take evidence on the inquiry into the harm caused by substance misuse in Scottish prisons
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Scottish Government data
- Scottish Shellfish Farm Production Survey, 2024
- GDP First Quarterly Estimate, 2025 Quarter 1
- GDP Monthly Estimate, March 2025
- United Nations Security Council session on the Middle East and Palestine
- France Q1 GDP estimate
Thursday
-
In the Holyrood chamber
- First Minister’s Questions
- Portfolio Questions: Social Justice
- Ministerial Statement: Galloway and Ayrshire National Park Proposal
- Ministerial Statement: NHS Grampian
- Ministerial Statement: Responding to RAAC in the Public Sector Across Scotland
- Legislative Consent Motion: Tobacco and Vapes Bill - UK Legislation
-
In the Holyrood committee rooms
- The Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee will take evidence on Ofcom and the BBC
- The Social Justice and Social Security Committee will take evidence on eradicating child poverty
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Scottish Government data
- Total Income from Farming Estimates, 2018-2024
- First minister John Swinney speaks at Prosper Forum 2025
- US second Q1 GDP estimate
- Reports: Scottish Fiscal Commission economic and fiscal forecast
Friday
- Q1 GDP estimates in Brazil, Canada, India and Turkey
Saturday
- Men’s UEFA Champions League final (Inter v PSG)
Sunday
- UK disposable vapes ban comes into force
- First day of summer in the northern hemisphere, according to the meteorological season
- Polish presidential election run-off vote