Rebecca Mason, associate, looks at the top stories for the week ahead.
Everton fan Andy Burnham will be unusually proud to see Liverpool awash with red this week, but it has nothing to do with football.
Labour returned to the city yesterday to mark the beginning of the party’s annual conference – slogan ‘Hope Again’ – with newly elected Scottish leader Michael Marra using his first appearance to echo prime minister Burham’s vision of devolution. Putting “power and money” into the hands of local communities was central to his call for economic growth, with Marra pointing to Burham’s Manchester as an example of what could be achieved for Scotland.
Today’s speech by chancellor John Healey will be analysed carefully for hints of what’s to come in next month’s Budget. High borrowing costs continue to squeeze the government’s fiscal headroom, leaving the Treasury little room for manoeuvre. Measures to reduce costs for businesses and investment in British industry, including a new contract to build dry docks for the UK’s submarine fleet at HMNB Clyde, are to feature in the address, alongside signals of the difficult choices ahead.
On Tuesday, Burnham will turn the agenda to social care when he delivers his first conference speech as Labour leader. As trailed yesterday, he is expected to set out plans for a universal social care service, free at the point of use and modelled on the NHS. Scrapping the pensions triple lock (£) is reportedly among the options being considered to help fund the reformed system, which is estimated to require £18bn a year. The new approach aims to address financial vulnerabilities in the system, which Burnham has described as being “as unfair as American healthcare.”
Ahead of Westminster’s return from recess next week, it’s all systems go for the rest of the UK’s political parties. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage is set to embark on a nationwide general election campaign tour this week, running through to November. His first stop is Yorkshire, which senior party figures see as a key electoral battleground with Labour. Meanwhile, the Greens will gather in Brighton for their three-day conference from Friday, followed by the Conservatives in Birmingham on Sunday.
In brief - Scotland's economy and business
The Scottish Government has refused to release its full internal assessment of its £1.5bn public sector savings programme (£), arguing that the public interest is better served by keeping the information private. Details on progress, risks, workforce savings and proposed actions in a June report were redacted following an FOI request, prompting concerns from the Fraser of Allander Institute and Institute for Fiscal Studies over the limited information available and whether the savings can be delivered. Health and social care accounts for the largest share, with £1.061bn in annual savings targeted.
Edinburgh has retained its position as the UK’s second most attractive location for foreign direct investment (FDI) behind London. Wright, Johnston & Mackenzie and Irwin Mitchell’s latest Investment Confidence Index found Edinburgh was the only city in the top five to improve its overall score, performing strongly on growth potential, skills and infrastructure. Its highly qualified workforce, financial services sector, universities, innovation, and international connectivity were highlighted as key strengths, alongside major developments such as the Edinburgh BioQuarter.
Staff at the University of Edinburgh will begin five-week strike action today over programme closures and fears of further job cuts. UCU members argue that the university’s £140m savings programme and “teaching out” of 90 programmes in the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences could lead to 1,800 redundancies. Members are calling on management to review the university’s reserves and cut non-staff spending.
Balgray railway station in East Renfrewshire welcomed its first passengers on Sunday. The £18.3m project will now improve connectivity between Barrhead and Glasgow City Centre and make it easier for visitors to reach local businesses and attractions, including Darnley Country Park. Funded through the Glasgow City Region City Deal, the station also boasts an 80-space car park with EV charging and walking paths linked to homes and local active travel routes.
OpinioNation - columns of interest
Alex Massie in The Sunday Times (£) reflects on longstanding concerns that our universities are becoming less distinctly Scottish, renewed by the University of Edinburgh’s decision to cut degrees linked to Scottish and Celtic culture, alongside concerns that working-class Scottish students are feeling marginalised at the University of St Andrews. Massie argues that the “watering down” of Scottishness has been deepened by the university funding model, with the Scottish Government’s free tuition policy and cap on undergraduate places leaving institutions increasingly reliant on international students to fill places and pay the price of educating Scots.
Scotland can generate meaningful economic growth by improving the conditions for its existing small-business base, (£) rather than putting too much emphasis on finding the next high-growth “unicorn”. Scotland director for the Federation of Small Businesses, Colin Borland, argues in The Herald that Holyrood’s forthcoming Budget should focus on reforming business rates, improved access to public procurement and additional financial support for recruiting apprentices to unlock the full potential of small firms, which generate more than £100bn in turnover.
Tony Blair may still have a role to play in shaping Labour’s direction, despite Andy Burnham’s efforts to distance himself from the New Labour era. Writing in The Guardian, former Labour senior adviser Tom Baldwin argues that Blair’s internationalist and pro-European outlook – particularly his focus on closer ties on defence, AI and economic strength – could offer useful guidance to Burnham, whose political identity has centred more heavily on domestic issues and devolution. With an increasingly unstable global environment putting greater emphasis on international cooperation, Blair’s perspective may prove increasingly difficult for Labour’s new leadership to ignore.
Shifting the dial - recent research
Stark inequalities in cancer risks and outcomes in Scotland continue to persist in 2026.
Cancer Research UK’s latest report reveals around 28% of all cases of cancer in Scotland are linked to deprivation. This is due to increased exposure to risk factors, such as smoking and obesity, unlikely participation in screening programmes and greater barriers to accessing timely healthcare. Smoking-related cancers are the largest among cases linked to deprivation, with lung cancer accounting for three-in-five cases (25,000) in Scotland.
The charity is calling on the Scottish Government to accelerate prevention efforts to ensure all communities in Scotland have greater symptoms awareness and access to high-quality cancer care. They state that this should be supported by the timely implementation of the Tobacco and Vapes Act, greater funding for stop-smoking services, and the introduction of a national lung cancer screening programme in Scotland.
The week ahead - fill your diary with key events
The House of Commons is in recess and will return on Monday 12 October.
Monday
- Chancellor John Healey to deliver speech at Labour conference
- UK: Deputy governor for markets and banking at the Bank of England Dave Ramsden to deliver speech on quantitative tightening
Tuesday
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In the Holyrood chamber:
- General Questions
- FMQs (Backbench)
- Scottish Government debate: Empowering Communities and Strengthening Local Democracy
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In the Holyrood Committee rooms:
- Economy, Tourism and Energy Committee will take evidence on the Scottish Government Priorities for Economy and Tourism; Sporting Events Bill (UK Parliament legislation); Scottish Government Priorities for Energy; Energy Performance of Buildings (Scotland) Amendment Regulations 2026
- Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee to take evidence as part of pre-Budget scrutiny
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Scottish Government data
- Quarterly Housing Statistics, September 2026
- Scottish Landlord Register Data, August 2026
- Energy Trends, Q2 2026
- National Drug and Alcohol Treatment Waiting Times, Q1 2026
- Prime minister Andy Burham to deliver speech at Labour conference
- Canada: US import ban on some Canadian goods come into force
- UK: British Retail Consortium September Shop Price Index
Wednesday
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In the Holyrood chamber:
- Portfolio Questions: Social Justice and Housing; Economy, Tourism and Transport
- Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party Debate on Energy; Finance
- Members’ Business: Building Scotland’s Resilience to Wildfires and Other Climate Shocks
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In the Holyrood Committee rooms:
- Rural Affairs Committee to take evidence on Marine and Fisheries
- Transport Committee to take evidence on Civil Aviation (Consumer Protection and Regulatory Reform) Bill (UK Parliament legislation); Procurement
- Finance and Public Administration Committee to take evidence on Affordability and sustainability of Scotland’s tax and spending plans as part of pre-Budget scrutiny
- Social Justice, Housing and Local Government Committee to host social security stakeholder roundtable
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Scottish Government data
- GDP Monthly Estimate 2026 M7 July
- UK: Revised Q2 GDP estimate
- US: Third Q2 GDP estimate
Thursday
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In the Holyrood chamber:
- General Questions
- FMQs (Party Leaders)
- Scottish Government Debate: Scotland’s Priorities for the UK Budget
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Scottish Government data
- Registers of Scotland House Price Statistics, August 2026
- UK: New energy price cap comes into effect and VAT removed from electricity bills
- EU: August unemployment figures and Q2 House Price Index
- UK Nationwide September House Price Index
Friday
- Greens political party conference begins in Brighton
- Wales: Plaid Cymru conference begins in Llandudno
Sunday
- Conservative political party conference begins in Birmingham