Client manager, Aoife Hollywood, looks at the top stories from the week ahead.
Alex Salmond’s unexpected death in North Macedonia this weekend sent shockwaves across the nation. He is believed to have suffered a heart attack while attending the Academy for Cultural Diplomacy conference.
Tributes have poured in; Nicola Sturgeon commemorated her “mentor”, John Swinney honoured a man who “inspired a generation” to support Scottish independence, and Sir Keir Starmer described him as a “monumental figure”.
King Charles praised his “devotion to Scotland”, which prompted the BBC’s political editor, Glenn Campbell, to point out the rarity of the monarch paying tribute to a political veteran upon news of their death.
Yesterday, the SNP expelled backbench MSP, John Mason, due to controversial comments he made about the conflict in Gaza, which the party condemned as “utterly abhorrent”. The Glasgow Shettleston MSP said he was “very disappointed” with the decision, arguing that the party “should be able to tolerate a variety of views”, so long as there is a steadfast commitment to Scottish independence.
Today, the UK Government will host its investment summit in London where it will introduce its newly-appointed investment minister, Poppy Gustafsson. However, the event has already been overshadowed by some own goals from the government, ranging from Louise Haigh’s call for viewers to join her in boycotting P&O Ferries, to the looming tax rises promised in the upcoming budget. Meanwhile, there have also been reports of poor organisation {£).
In brief - Scotland's economy and business
With just 15 days until the Chancellor’s budget, union leaders have called on Rachel Reeves to reverse the Conservative-imposed tax hike on whisky (£) to protect one of Scotland’s key industries. GMB Scotland secretary Louise Gilmour argued that the 10.1% duty increase introduced by Jeremy Hunt has damaged sales.
The Herald (£) reported that SNP ministers are considering the Scottish Greens’ proposals to introduce taxes on private jets and large supermarkets as part of a potential Budget agreement.
Burness Paull (£) has expanded its senior team and service offering by appointing Olivia McLaren as head of US immigration based in Scotland, offering a new US immigration law service to complement its existing UK-focused support.
Following CBS Consulting’s 15 year-on-year revenue increase, The Scotsman (£) reports the firm has established a new advisory board, chaired by banking executive, David Bowerman, to guide its growth strategy over the next three to five years, with a focus on both the retail and financial services sectors.
OpinioNation - columns of interest
In the wake of Alex Salmond’s unexpected passing, Iain Macwhirter (£) reflects on his political career.
Sunday marked Labour’s 100th day in government. The Herald interviewed a mix of left-wing intellectuals, historians, economists and politicians to assess the performance of Sir Keir Starmer’s government and the impact it is having on Scottish Labour’s chances for Holyrood 2026.
Reflecting on James Cleverly’s unexpected exit from the Conservative leadership race, John Harris warns the race is no laughing matter, reminding readers that both remaining candidates represent a shift toward hard-right populism, mirroring trends seen in the EU.
Finally, writing in The Financial Times (£), Jemima Kelly explores a growing trend that encourages people to disconnect from the news. Kelly argues that disengaging entirely undermines civic responsibility and makes it harder to discern truth from distortion in an already fractured media environment.
The week ahead - fill your diary with key events
Please note that the Scottish Parliament is in recess until 27 October.
Monday
- UK Government hosts its International Investment Summit
- Foreign secretary David Lammy will be at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg.
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Westminster:
- Oral questions, Defence
- Second Reading of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill
- Canada: Thanksgiving Day, financial markets closed
Tuesday
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Westminster:
- Oral questions, Health and Social Care
- Second Reading of the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill
- Westminster Hall Debate: Scotland’s economy
- Westminster Hall Debate: community benefits from renewable energy projects
- General Committee: Great British Energy Bill Debate
- UK: October labour market statistics released
- Switzerland: World Trade Organization General Council meeting begins in Geneva
Wednesday
- Scottish Government releases House Price Index data for August
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Westminster:
- Oral questions, Science, Innovation and Technology
- Prime Minister’s Question Time
- Opposition day debate: Liberal Democrats
- Labour party MP Kim Leadbeater set to put forward her bill on assisted dying in England and Wales
- UK: September CPI and producer price index inflation rate data released
Thursday
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Westminster:
- Oral questions, Culture, Media and Sport
- General debate: International Investment Summit
- Westminster Hall Debate: business property relief and agricultural property relief
- EU: European Central Bank interest rate decision
Friday
- UK: September retail sales for Great Britain
Sunday
- Moldova: Presidential election and referendum on EU membership