Will Torness, client manager, looks at the top stories for the week ahead.
First minister John Swinney will kick off the week by seeking to unlock new investment into Scotland’s offshore wind market when he hosts a forum in Edinburgh today showcasing the nation’s offshore wind profile to more than 100 delegates from around the world. The Scottish Government has committed to investing up to £500 million over five years into Scotland’s offshore wind supply chain.
Swinney, however, will be facing an increasingly dwindling number of incumbents when his party fights to stay in government next year. On Sunday, former health secretary Michael Matheson – whose controversial five-figure iPad bill forced his resignation from post in early 2024 – announced he would be the latest Holyrood politician to stand down, bringing the total number of outgoing MSPs from the SNP ranks to 21.
Meanwhile, fearing Labour’s biggest potential rebellion yet since taking office, work and pensions secretary Liz Campbell is said to be dialling back some of the UK government’s most controversial proposals to reform the country’s welfare system. A swathe of cuts is expected to be laid out Tuesday as Labour looks to rein in public spending ahead of the chancellor’s spring statement next week – leading dozens of the party’s MPs to threaten rebellion over fears that vulnerable and disabled adults will bear the brunt of the cuts. According to The Sunday Times (£), Campbell has signalled that the government will protect payments for people unable to work and is said to be U-turning on plans to cancel an inflation-linked rise to the personal independence payment.
In the House of Commons, legislation on assisted dying and immigration will be back on the agenda, as committee debates continue on the two contentious issues.
There is also contention as European leaders work to secure a 30-day ceasefire deal in Ukraine following a virtual summit at the weekend in which prime minister Keir Starmer accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of “dragging his feet”.Military chiefs from among Starmer’s “coalition of the willing” will meet on Thursdayto discuss the details of military support if a is ceasefire is ultimately agreed upon.
In brief - Scotland's economy and business
Amid growing geopolitical tensions, The Herald (£) reports that high-ranking delegates from the Chinese Communist Party will be in Glasgow on Wednesday for a summit intended to boost trade ties between China and Scotland and promote one of the largest trade fairs in the world as organisers seek major economic benefits for the west of Scotland.
Scottish Enterprise has announced a £3.2 million grant that will help expand operations at the Port of Montrose – one of Scotland’s critical bases for offshore wind projects – as part of the Scottish Government’s strategic plan to invest in the nation’s offshore wind supply chain. The funding, reported by Daily Business, will specifically support a £7.2 million project to acquire and develop land at Montrose Port Industrial Park.
According to The Scotsman (£), a Scottish energy firm has warned that solar panel installations on many newbuild homes are not taking full advantage of their energy harnessing potential, and it is calling for regulation changes to ensure storage batteries are concurrently installed to reap better benefits for homeowners.
OpinioNation - columns of interest
As Alexander Brown argues in The Scotsman (£), while many of the Labour government’s policies like welfare cuts have been controversial in terms of outcomes, they remain popular among the public. How long that remains the case is open for debate.
With Scotland’s university funding model growing more critical by the day, Alex Massie lays out in The Sunday Times (£) the delicate tangle that constitutes the current situation and asks whether the country’s political class has the collective courage to consider a more sustainable, albeit controversial, arrangement.
And a small island community is bucking the trend of rural population depletion by reclaiming its own destiny through community ownership. On a recent visit to Ulva,New York Times (£) columnist Ken Ilgunas asks whether recent developments offer a blueprint for other rural areas, particularly in his home country of the US.
The week ahead - fill your diary with key events
Monday
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Consulting Scotland
- Closing: Rural Delivery Plan: vision, strategic objectives and key performance indicators
- Westminster
- House of Commons: oral questions on work and pensions
- House of Lords: debate on US policy on the war in Ukraine
- UK Engagement with Space Committee: oral evidence
- Scottish Government hosts offshore wind investment forum in Edinburgh
- AI UK 2025. Hosted by the Alan Turing Institute, this event showcases the latest AI advancements, from ethical AI to new machine learning applications
- New Ofcom rules for online safety come into effect
- OECD economic outlook
- Patrick’s Day
- Employment tribunal featuring four female journalists against BBC set to begin. Martine Croxall, Karin Giannone, Kasia Madera and Annita McVeigh claim they were snubbed over chief presenter roles following the merger of the BBC’s News and World News channels.
- Over 200 hair and beauty sector owners and employees to gather to demand ‘urgent tax reform for the struggling sector’
Tuesday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- Scottish Government debate: Protecting and growing Scotland’s iconic food and drink sector
- In the Holyrood committee rooms
- Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee to consider draft of Stage 1 report to the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill
- Finance and Public Administration Committee to take evidence regarding public administration in government
- Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee to take evidence regarding building safety and maintenance
- Council tax reduction in Scotland
- House of Commons: oral questions on energy security and net zero
- House of Lords: oral questions on new nuclear power generation in Scotland
- General Committee: debate on Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
- General Committee: debate on Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
- Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee: oral evidence on Grenfell and building safety
- Scottish Government data
- Westminster
- Publication of UK parliamentary report on October 7 atrocities in Israel
Wednesday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- Portfolio questions: Constitution, External Affairs and Culture
- Scottish Labour Party debate: Housing
- In the Holyrood committee rooms
- Rural Affairs and Islands Committee to take evidence on the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman Act 2002 Amendment Order 2025 and on a climate transition for Scottish agriculture.
- Economy and Fair Work Committee to take evidence on a legislative consent memorandum related to the Employment Rights bill (UK Parliament legislation)
- Prime Minister’s Questions
- Oral questions: women and equalities
- House of Commons: consideration of Lords amendments to the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill
- General Committee: debate on Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill
- Scottish Affairs Committee: oral evidence on GB Energy and the net zero transition
- Westminster
- Former health secretary Matt Hancock to be questioned at Covid-19 inquiry hearing
Thursday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- First Minister’s Questions
- General questions
- Portfolio questions: Education and Skills
- Rural Affairs and Islands Committee debate: Salmon farming in Scotland
- Scottish Government data
- Labour market trends for March
- Public sector employment in Scotland for Q4 2024
- House of Commons: oral questions on environment, food and rural affairs
- General Committee: debate on Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill
- Westminster
- Military chiefs to meet at London summit to discuss Ukraine
- The Prince of Wales to travel to Estonia to visit the Mercian Regiment in his role as Colonel-in-Chief and learn about how they are bolstering NATO’s eastern flank as part of Operation Cabrit
- Bank of England decision on interest rates
- Astronomical spring begins. Astronomical seasons refer to the position of Earth’s orbit in relation to the Sun, considering equinoxes and solstices. This is due to the 23.5 degrees of tilt of the Earth’s rotational axis concerning its orbit around the Sun. Since seasons vary in length, the start date can fall on different days each year.
Friday
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Consulting Scotland
- Closing: Scottish Aggregates Tax – proposed administration regulations
- Closing: NHS Scotland ‘Once for Scotland’ managing health at work workforce policies
- Liberal Democrats’ spring conference begins in Harrogate
Saturday
- SNP constitutional conference in Perth