News review of 2023 part one: A political earthquake in Scotland

Humza Yousaf was elected first minister in March. Photo: PA

JANUARY

The Duke of Sussex waited until the New Year festivities had died down before releasing his bombshell memoir Spare.

Harry branded the Prince of Wales his “arch nemesis” in the book, claiming he was physically attacked by William and knocked to the floor during a confrontation over the Duchess of Sussex.

There were multiple leaks ahead of the book’s publication and accidental sale in Spain, including the allegation by Harry that it was William and the Princess of Wales who encouraged him to wear a Nazi uniform to a fancy dress party in 2005 and “howled” with laughter when they saw him do it.

Energy secretary Michael Matheson set out plans to adopt a presumption against new oil and gas exploration in the North Sea, billed as a “historic step forward” to Scotland meeting its climate goals.

Mr Matheson said domestic production of oil and gas will effectively end within the next 20 years as the Scottish Government published its long-awaited draft energy strategy and “Just Transition” plan.

The Scotsman revealed that every Scottish student accepted by Edinburgh University to study law came from a more deprived background or an underperforming state school.

Applicants who attended good schools or came from less deprived areas also failed to be accepted into several other courses at the institution.

Critics accused the university of being effectively closed to “swathes” of Scots due to a cap on the number of Scottish students and a reliance on income from applicants from abroad and the rest of the UK.

The UK government sparked a constitutional battle by saying it would seek to block the Scottish Government’s Gender Recognition Reform Bill with the first ever use of a section 35 order.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon pledged to “defend the legislation and stand up for Scotland’s Parliament” as she branded the move a “full-frontal attack” on Holyrood.

An urgent review was announced into the housing of transgender prisoners in women’s jails after double rapist Isla Bryson was sent to Cornton Vale after sentencing.

FEBRUARY

A cross-party group of MSPs, including from the SNP, warned Ms Sturgeon that bringing in the planned bottle deposit return scheme would be “reckless”.

The group, including former rural affairs secretary Fergus Ewing and veteran SNP MSP Christine Grahame, wrote to the First Minister to express “extensive and wide-ranging concerns” about the scheme, which was due to come into effect in August.

Ms Sturgeon takes the political world by storm as she announces her surprise resignation after more than eight years as First Minister.

In a hastily-arranged press conference at Bute House, she said: “In my head and in my heart, I know that the time is now - that it’s right for me, for my party and my country.”

The following day, the SNP’s “special democracy conference”, where it was set to commit to fighting the next general election as a “de facto” referendum on independence, was postponed.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney ruled himself out of the running to succeed Ms Sturgeon as reports emerged that health secretary Humza Yousaf was set to announce a leadership bid.

His leadership rival, finance secretary Kate Forbes, then came in for fierce criticism for saying she would have voted against same sex marriage “as a matter of conscience” if she had been an MSP at the time.

Ms Forbes was favourite to succeed Ms Sturgeon in the leadership race against Mr Yousaf and former community safety minister Ash Regan.

Mr Yousaf then rejected allegations he deliberately skipped the vote on equal marriage in 2014, after former health secretary Alex Neil accused the leadership contender of arranging a ministerial meeting to take place as “cover for not being there”.

MARCH

Mr Swinney announced he would resign from government when Ms Sturgeon left office, marking the end of an era in Scottish politics.

Ms Sturgeon paid tribute to his “support, wisdom and, above all, friendship” as her close ally revealed he was to leave the government after nearly 16 years.

Scottish DJ Ken Bruce praised the BBC as “still the finest broadcasting institution in the world” as he signed off his final show on Radio 2.

The presenter chose the medley of Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight and The End that closes The Beatles’ album Abbey Road to end his last mid-morning programme after 30 years.

The gloves came off in the race for Bute House in a televised debate between the three candidates. The STV event saw Ms Forbes, Mr Yousaf and Ms Regan cross examine each other and answer questions from viewers. At the start of the debate, Ms Regan stated: “The SNP has lost its way.”

Alan Shearer and Ian Wright announced they were boycotting Match Of The Day over the BBC's decision to stand Gary Lineker down from the show. The programme aired "without studio presentation or punditry" after the pundits pulled out.

Lineker had become been embroiled in a row over impartiality for comparing the language used to launch a new government asylum policy with 1930s Germany on Twitter.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt insisted the UK economy was "on the right track" as he used an improvement in the public finances to offer tax breaks to businesses and wealthy pensioners.

Mr Hunt’s first Budget came as the Office for Budget Responsibility projected the economy would shrink by less than expected and inflation would fall more sharply than previous forecasts.

The SNP was forced to reveal membership of the party had plummeted by more than 30,000 in just over a year, following a row over transparency. The party said the total number of eligible ballots for the leadership contest was 72,186. The SNP had about 104,000 members in December 2021.

The SNP was plunged into further turmoil when its head of media, Murray Foote, then resigned over the matter.

Mr Yousaf was confirmed as Scotland’s new First Minister after a narrow victory over Ms Forbes, who then turned down a demotion in his government.