Will Torness, client manager, looks at the top stories for the week ahead.
Believe it or not, election season has come around again with some consequential votes this week, not just in England but also in Canada, Australia, Romania and Singapore.
First up, US president Donald Trump will be on the ballot unofficially today as Canadians vote in their country’s snap election. It comes against the backdrop of a late surge of nationalism that has lifted the governing Liberal Party and its new leader, Mark Carney. The former Bank of England governor will look to lock in the next five years in government after taking the helm of the country last month. Trump’s relentless taunts and tariffs against Canada have given Carney the opportunity to leverage voter anger into a likely comeback for the once floundering party against the Conservatives who had been leading by some 25 points just a few months ago.
Much closer to home, prime minister Keir Starmer faces his party’s first major test since being ushered into government last July, as thousands of seats will be decided during England’s local elections on Thursday. The unexpected – or, perhaps, perfectly predictable – polling success of Reform UK in recent months has made the races more conspicuous and consequential than usual, as Nigel Farage aims to demonstrate real electoral strength rather than just hypothetical momentum. Kemi Badenoch has the most to lose as traditional Conservative voters potentially look either to Reform or the Lib Dems. In anticipation of some tough results, the Tory leader has begun to open the door to a ‘unite the right’ deal with Reform, at least at the local level.
Reform will very likely be on the mind of first minister John Swinney when he addresses the Scottish Trade Union Congress (STUC) in Dundee later today. Daily Business reports that the first minister will call on the UK government to bring forward an industrial strategy that “recognises all that Scotland has to offer and agrees to invest in that”. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has pre-emptively attacked Swinney for failing Scottish industry, while STUC leader Roz Foyer has directed blame at both leaders’ parties, saying she’s not surprised by the recent rise of Reform as neither the UK nor Scottish government has “done enough for ordinary working people”.
In Holyrood, newly minted Lib Dem MSP Jamie Greene has been appointed the party’s finance spokesperson, weeks after he defected from the Scottish Conservatives. And on Tuesday, Green MSP Maggie Chapman will face a motion in the Holyrood equalities committee that could remove her as a member. This follows comments she made about the UK Supreme Court’s gender ruling, in which the unrepentant Chapman accused the court of “bigotry, prejudice and hatred”.
In brief - Scotland's economy and business
Ahead of John Swinney’s Programme for Government announcement next week, CBI Scotland is calling on the Scottish Government to address the country’s skills gap as a top priority. Insider reports that the business body written to the first minister arguing for a skills strategy plan with clear targets, bringing together business, education and government to boost productivity and long-term, sustainable growth.
IPPR Scotland director Stephen Boyd warns that a trade deal with the United States would have “minimal impact” on jobs and growth in Scotland, in an exclusive interview with The Scotsman (£). Boyd says both the UK and Scottish governments should focus on what they can control, notably the forthcoming UK industrial strategy and the Scottish Programme for Government.
New figures from the Scottish Property Federation show that the number of rental homes under construction has dropped drastically over the past year with 26% fewer units in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year. As reported in The Herald (£), housing industry representatives say the stagnation has been exacerbated by a lack of new schemes being proposed and granted planning consent.
OpinioNation - columns of interest
Britain’s establishment and up-and-coming political parties alike must reckon with being largely unpopular. Robert Colville writes in The Times (£) that this week’s local elections will ultimately come down to which ones can capitalise on being the least unlikeable.
Are humans losing our ability to navigate? As mountain rescues increase in the UK, John Harris of The Guardian questions the utility (and safety) of leaving things to our phones’ built-in GPS systems.
The future of nuclear power in Scotland is an ongoing point of discussion and with new data centres sucking up loads of electricity, could we be on the verge of a nuclear revival? This short documentary from the Financial Times (£) explores how small modular reactors could play a critical role.
Shifting the dial - recent research
Trust in Scotland’s political institutions appears severely lacking, according to a new poll by the Electoral Reform Society, reported in The Herald. The survey found that on a scale of trust from 0 to 10, respondents scored political parties at just 3.1 and politicians at 2.8.
Trust was slightly higher for local councils, which were given a score of 4.1, although the UK and Scottish parliaments were below that benchmark, at 3.4 and 3.9, respectively.
Respondents to the survey indicated they want more compromise in politics, with around 72% of Scots saying they prefer a leader who seeks consensus before making decisions, rather than a “strong leader” who acts without compromise.
The week ahead - fill your diary with key events
Monday
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Westminster
- House of Commons: Oral questions on education
- UK Engagement with Space Committee: Oral evidence
- First minister John Swinney addresses Scottish Trade Union Congress in Dundee
- Canadian election
Tuesday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- Scottish Government debate on supporting Scottish industry during turbulent economic times
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In the Holyrood committee rooms
- Net Zero, Energy and Transport Committee: Evidence on Scotland’s train and bus services
- Finance and Public Administration Committee: Evidence on the Scottish budget process in practice; Evidence on the Scottish Fiscal Commission Report on fiscal sustainability; Evidence on the Land and Buildings Transaction Tax
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Scottish Government data
- Short-term lets licensing statistics to 31 December 2024
- Winter heating benefits statistics to 31 March 2025
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Westminster
- House of Commons: Oral questions on energy security and net zero
- House of Lords: Oral questions on plans to introduce cross-sector legislation on artificial intelligence; Oral questions on the assessment of the impact in Scotland of increased defence spending; Committee stage debate on Employment Rights Bill
- General Committee: Debate on Planning and Infrastructure Bill
- Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee: Oral evidence on Planning and Infrastructure Bill
- Foreign Affairs Committee: Oral evidence on the UK-EU reset
- European Central Bank monthly consumer expectations survey
Wednesday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- Portfolio questions: Deputy first minister responsibilities, economy and Gaelic; Finance and local government
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In the Holyrood committee rooms
- Economy and Fair Work Committee: Evidence on skills delivery
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Scottish Government data
- Scotland’s labour market insights, April 2025
- Consumer sentiment indicator, 2025 Quarter 1
- GDP monthly estimate, February 2025
- GDP quarterly national accounts for Scotland, 2024 Quarter 4
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Westminster
- Prime Minister’s Questions
- House of Lords: Consideration of Commons reasons for Great British Energy Bill
- Climate Change Committee report on adapting to climate change
- US president Donald Trump’s 100th day in office
Thursday
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In the Holyrood chamber
- First Minister’s Questions
- Portfolio questions: Net Zero, Energy and Transport
- Scottish Government debate on Scotland’s hydrogen future
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Scottish Government data
- Registers of Scotland quarterly house prices statistics, January-March 2025
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Westminster
- House of Commons: Oral questions on business and trade; Business questions to the Leader of the House
- General Committee: Debate on Planning and Infrastructure Bill
- UK local elections
Friday
- UK Parliament in recess until May 6
Saturday
- Australian election
- Singaporean election
- Trump’s 25% tariff on imported cars comes into force
Sunday
- Romanian election