John Cumming client manager, looks at the top stories for the week ahead.
The Scottish Labour Party’s spring conference draw to a close with the prime minister addressing the party faithful yesterday morning. His announcement, that the National Wealth Fund will invest £200 million to deliver a sustainable future for Grangemouth, was the big story of the day, which will undoubtedly be a focus of political debate throughout the week.
The prime minister will be heading across the Atlantic later this week to meet president Trump. This will be a high stakes meeting for Starmer, as he works to mitigate the risk of trade tariffs on UK products whilst somehow navigating Trump’s latest inflammatory rhetoric. European security will also be a key focus of the discussion, with Starmer attempting to position himself as a bridge between the new occupants of the White House, and Europe.
In brief – Scotland’s economy and business
The Times published a piece following the prime minister’s announcement of funding for Grangemouth, which includes a quote from Reform leader Nigel Faragewho said “How dare Starmer talk to us about jobs. Scotland has lost more than 70,000 jobs linked to the North Sea as a result of government net zero policies over the past decade.”
Amina Amin, a Senior Solicitor at MFMac, has penned a piece for The Scotsmanthis morning calling for increased regulation of cosmetic treatments. Her piece highlights a recent survey which found that one in three Scottish doctors have treated patients with complications from cosmetic procedures, with the youngest reported case involving a 16-year-old. Amin argues that without tighter controls, Scotland could become a hub for unregulated cosmetic procedures.
The Herald’s head of print, Alan Simpson, wrote a piece for yesterday’s edition following news that the Scottish Government was considering nationalising Ardrossan Harbour. His piece notes that the site, currently owned by Peel Ports cannot host the new Glen Sannox ferry due to its size. Services from Ardrossan to Arran are on hold until the end of March, with the new vessel carrying passengers from the island to Troon instead. Given the government’s record on procuring the new ferry, and delivering other major transport projects like the dualling of the A9, Simpson expressed his doubt that the take-over of the site will progress “at pace”, as the government claims.
OpinioNation - columns of interest
Writing for The Scotsman, John McLellan argues that the Conservative party must revive Thatcherism in order to counter the threats from Putin, and the electoral threat being posed by Reform UK. He says that the party “should play to what were traditional Conservative strengths”, with a focus on “cheaper public services and less government expenditure.”
Ahead of the prime minister’s meeting with president Trump this week, Andrew Rawnsley, The Observer’s chief political commentator, has written a piece for The Guardian assessing what Starmer’s strategy might be when he’s in the oval office with Trump. Rawnsley notes that Starmer was quick to challenge the president’s attack on Ukraine’s president Zelenskyy, which one cabinet minister described as “quite ballsy”. He adds that, according to sources involved in preparations for the visit, the PM will attempt to convince Trump that risking European security will embolden other adversaries such as China, and strengthen Beijing’s ties with Moscow.
BBC Newsnight shared a clip from a recent episode of former MI6 boss, Sir Alex Younger, and former Financial Times Moscow correspondent, Catherine Belton,discussing the ‘new era’ for international relations. Younger warns that Europe hasn’t ‘woken up’ to the new reality of foreign affairs being dominated by ‘strong men’, and the US lacking the same ability, or desire, to exercise influence across the globe.
Shifting the dial - recent research
Data from the latest Understanding Scotland economy tracker was published this morning, showing that people in Scotland are increasingly concerned about the economy, with 62% saying conditions have worsened in the past year. The survey, jointly led by the Diffley Partnership and Charlotte Street Partners, also found that healthcare continues to be the top priority for the Scottish public, with the cost-of-living crisis remaining front-of-mind for many. More than half of Scots (53%) are cutting back on leisure activities, 52% are reducing non-essential spending, while 45% are saving less than usual.
The week ahead - fill your diary with key events
Monday
- Ukraine: third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which marked a major escalation of the conflict started in February 2014. G7 heads of state will meet virtually to discuss potential resolutions
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Westminster:
- MPs return from recess
- Parliament’s Strangers’ Bar reopens following a security review sparked by an alleged spiking incident
- White House: French president Emmanuel Macron to meet with president Trump
Tuesday
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Holyrood:
- MSPs to debate the Scottish Government’s budget at stage three
- Emma Harper MSP to lead a debate marking eating disorders awareness week 2025
- Senior executives from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to appear before the net zero, energy and transport committee
- Westminster:
- MPs question foreign office ministers in the commons
- Representatives of Google, Meta, TikTok and X to appear before the science, innovation and technology committee to answer questions on misinformation and harmful algorithms
- Police chiefs and policing minister Diana Johnson to appear before the home affairs committee to discuss the response to the summer riots
- Energy bills: Ofgem to announce update to the energy price cap
- Inheritance tax: the National Farmers Union annual conference to be held in London, with a major focus on the impact of UK government tax policy on small family farms. Environment secretary Steve Reed will address the conference on behalf of the government
Wednesday
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Holyrood:
- Angus Robertson, Angela Constance and junior ministers to take questions from MSPs in the chamber
- Green MSPs to lead a debate on the economy and transport
- Representatives from Scottish Renewables, Homes for Scotland, Scottish Grocers' Federation and UKHospitality Scotland to appear before the economy and fair work committee to discuss work related to the New Deal for Business
- Westminster:
- PMQs
- Starmer: the PM will arrive in Washington DC ahead of his first face-to-face meeting with president Trump on Thursday
- Trump: the president will chair his first cabinet meeting since being sworn in
Thursday
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Holyrood:
- FMQs
- The Scottish Government will lead a debate on increasing investment in Scotland
- ‘Special relationship’: president Trump and Sir Keir Starmer meet at the White House
- Westminster:
- MPs debate the war in Ukraine
- Stats: quarterly immigration figures released
Friday
- Ramadan begins, running until March 30
- Taiwan: president Lai Ching-te to make a speech marking Peace Memorial Day
- The new Apple iPhone 16e goes on sale following its launch event last week
- US: new sanctions on Russian oil come into force
Saturday
- First day of meteorological spring
- Middle East: end of the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire agreement
- Music: The Brit Awards will be held in the O2 arena, London
- Wales: St David’s Day
Sunday
- Oscars: 97th Academy Awards ceremony to be held in Hollywood, Los Angeles