News review of 2023 part four: Israel-Gaza war, a defection and a former PM returns

OCTOBER

Hamas terrorists crossed from the Gaza Strip into Israel and murdered more than 1,200 people. More than 200 hostages were taken, including children and elderly people. In response, Israel declared war and gave the green light for "significant military steps" to retaliate against Hamas. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak declared "terrorism will not prevail" and pledged "steadfast support" for his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu.

Humza Yousaf’s SNP leadership was dealt a blow by the defection of MP Lisa Cameron to the Conservatives. He called on her to resign her seat and said she "probably never believed" in Scottish independence to begin with.

The nationalists’ troubles worsened the following day with the publication of a poll for The Scotsman predicting Labour will replace the SNP as the largest Scottish party in Westminster at the next general election.

In his first speech to his party’s conference since becoming leader, Mr Yousaf announced council tax will be frozen next year to help people cope with the cost-ofliving crisis,in a U-turn that sparked concerns about the financial impact on frontline services.

Storm Babet wreaked havoc across much of Scotland, with some residents who were forced to flee their homes told they will not be able to return to them in time for Christmas. Residents in 400 homes in Brechin, Angus, were told to evacuate as the River South Esk burst its banks. Flood defences were breached, and evacuation centres were set up in Brechin, Montrose and Forfar.

The Scottish Covid-19 public inquiry began and heard on its opening day how care home residents were compared to “exhibits in reptile house” because of restrictions limiting visits.

The inquiry quickly became embroiled in a row over WhatsApp messages amid reports that many texts from the period of the pandemic between ministers and senior officials could not be made available because they had been deleted.

NOVEMBER

Mr Yousaf’s wife’s parents arrived safely home in Scotland after four weeks in Gaza. Elizabeth El-Nakla and her husband Maged - the mother and father of Mr Yousaf's wife, Nadia El-Nakla - were among 92 British nationals allowed to pass from the Gaza Strip into Egypt. The couple, who live in Dundee, became trapped in the territory after visiting relatives living there when the conflict erupted.

Opposition politicians demanded a full investigation into how health secretary Michael Matheson racked up nearly £11,000 in data roaming charges while using a parliamentary iPad on holiday. He incurred a fee of £10,935.74 while in Morocco. Mr Matheson later told MSPs it was caused by his sons using the device to watch football.

Mr Sunak carried out a reshuffle, bringing David Cameron back into frontline politics by making him Foreign Secretary and giving the former prime minister a seat in the House of Lords. Suella Braverman was sacked as home secretary following her comments suggesting homelessness was sometimes a "lifestyle choice" and an unauthorised newspaper article criticising the way police had handled pro-Palestinian "mobs".

In his Autumn Statement, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced a 2p cut to national insurance, while forecasts showed slow growth and the worst-ever hit to living standards.

Petroineos announced the closure of Scotland's sole oil refinery at Grangemouth, in a decision branded a "hammer blow" for the local and national economies. The owner said the facility will become a fuel import terminal.

Hamas began freeing hostages during a ceasefire deal, as Israel came under growing international pressure to relent in its campaign against the terror group in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli hostages released ranged in age from four to 84. The Health Ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza put the number of Palestinians who had been killed by the end of the month at more than 13,300.

DECEMBER

The SNP's stewardship of Scottish education was branded an "abject failure" after the nation slumped to its worst ever scores in the OECD’s world Pisa tests. Results from tests taken by a 15-year-olds showed the performance of Scotland's youngsters dropped by 18 points in maths, 11 points in reading and seven points in science since the previous Pisa assessments in 2018. The scores for maths and science represented a record low, and were below the OECD average.

Mr Yousaf was urged to drop Scotland's controversial gender reforms and "stop wasting taxpayers' money" after losing a high-profile court battle with the UK Government. The First Minister had challenged a decision by Scottish Secretary Alister Jack to block legislation aimed at making it easier for trans people to change their legal sex. But the Court of Session in Edinburgh ruled Mr Jack acted lawfully.

Mr Jack claimed Mr Yousaf met five foreign leaders during the COP28 climate summit in Dubai without an official from the UK government present. Lord Cameron had earlier threatened to withhold support for the Scottish Government's international relations efforts due to a lack of Foreign Office presence at a meeting between Mr Yousaf and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Mr Sunak survived a vote on his Rwanda Bill despite opposition from within his own party. Part of his emergency "stop the boats" legislation, the vote was a test of the Prime Minister's authority. The bill had looked to be in jeopardy and there appeared to be nerves in Downing Street, with climate change minister Graham Stuart flown back from the COP28 summit to vote for the legislation.

Baroness Michelle Mone admitted she did not tell the truth about her links to PPE firm Medpro. The company is being investigated by the National Crime Agency, while the Department of Health and Social Care has issued breach of contract proceedings over a 2020 deal on the supply of gowns. In her first major broadcast interview since the scandal emerged, the Scottish peer admitted she stands to benefit from a deal between the Government and the firm, which was awarded contracts worth more than £200 million to supply personal protective equipment after she recommended it to ministers.