There is no rest for Sir Keir Starmer following Labour’s landslide victory last week. Fresh from appointing his cabinet and touring the four nations over the weekend and on Monday, the new prime minister will jet off to Washington, DC as he attends the NATO summit on Tuesday.
Starmer’s first foreign visit as prime minister comes after he met with his new Scottish MPs on Sunday in Edinburgh and with first minister John Swinney at Bute House. Speaking after the meeting with the SNP leader, Starmer said that his government ‘got a clear mandate for change’ in the general election, and that one of his priorities was to ‘reset’ the relationship between the UK and Scottish governments. He said: ‘We are of a joint view that we can work constructively together.’
With the dust just now settling on the election outcome, the search for a new Conservative leader is heating up after Rishi Sunak announced he would be standing down in his concession speech on Friday. Former chancellor Jeremy Hunt has ruled himself out, and there remains a question mark over whether the party will aim to shift to the right or centre. Former business secretary Kemi Badenoch is increasingly seen as a frontrunner.
Meanwhile, in Scotland John Swinney has said the SNP will be taking stock after a crushing loss of 39 seats – with him repeatedly saying the party will be doing some ‘soul searching’ ahead of the Scottish Parliament election in 2026. Meanwhile, there are already reports of blaming and shaming within the SNP, with some senior members stating that it was Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney’s fault the party suffered such serious losses.
It will be a busy week at Westminster as MPs will begin being sworn into the House of Commons on Tuesday, a speaker will then be elected.
To the south, Sunday's second round of voting in France delivered a shock result with a surge by the left-green New Popular Front alliance denying what had been an expected majority for the far-right National Rally, which came in third place. France now faces a wave of uncertainty as a new prime minister is decided.
And in the US, Joe Biden has vowed to stay in the presidential race despite growing concern over his capability for the job, some of which is now being voiced both publicly and privately among the Democratic party ranks. It is expected Donald Trump will also announce his running mate for the election before he is officially nominated as the Republican party candidate at the party’s national convention later this month.
Lastly, in case you missed last week’s View from the Street, associate partner Rachel Watson contends that in light of Sir Keir Starmer’s promise to set aside family time, a better work-life balance can be compatible even at the highest levels of public service.
In brief - Scotland's economy and business
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The Herald (£) reports that Scotland’s wind sector, made up of the industry body and more than 67 organisations, is now calling on the new UK government to provide more government subsidies that it says are needed to meet clean energy targets.
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Visiting Edinburgh on Sunday, prime minister Sir Keir Starmer announced he has already been in talks about the future the Grangemouth refinery and jobs at the site, as reported in The Scotsman (£).
- As high living costs continue to stick, new figures reported in Scottish Business Insider show rent in Scotland has jumped 9% year-on-year, with the average monthly rent sitting at £1,067.
OpinioNation - columns of interest
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Ian McConnell writes in The Herald (£) that, as indicated by the financial markets’ flat reaction to Labour’s landslide victory, Sir Keir Starmer’s promises to fix Britain’s economy may be constrained by his own lacklustre ambition.
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Terry Murden comments in Daily Business on the conundrum now facing first minister John Swinney as he looks to reset from the election rout of the SNP.
- And in The Sunday Times (£), Natasha Radmehr critiques the Scottish Government’s short-term lets rules one year from implementation, saying that the tricky balance between supporting residents and the visitor economy has yet to be struck.
The week ahead - fill your diary with key events
Monday
- Sir Keir Starmer travels to Northern Ireland and Wales as part of his four nations tour
Tuesday
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Scottish Government data
- National Improvement Framework Interactive Evidence report
- Council tax reduction data
- Mid-year population estimates
- Westminster
- Election of a new speaker of the House of Commons
- Swearing in of MPs and Lords
- Keir Starmer travels to Washington, DC for the NATO summit
Wednesday
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Westminster
- Continuation of swearing in of MPs and Lords
Thursday
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Consulting Scotland
- Closing: Time limits for enforcement action for unauthorised Environmental Impact Assessment development
- Westminster
- Continuation of swearing in of MPs; Lords not sitting
- GDP stats for May released
Friday
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Scottish Government data
- Land and buildings transaction tax statistics for June
- Consulting Scotland
- Closing: Developing a natural capital market framework survey