Review of the year part one: Nicola Sturgeon announces end of her marriage and of her political career
Trump accepts invitation from the King for unprecedented second state visit
January
The year began with president-elect Donald Trump making an intervention into Scotland’s energy debate that he would reiterate during the first year of his second term. In a post on his Truth Social site, Mr Trump linked to a blog post by the Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce that referenced the decision by US oil firm Apache to exit the North Sea because of the UK energy profits levy, known as the windfall tax. Mr Trump called on the UK government to “open up” the North Sea and “get rid of windmills”.
This was followed by a warning from the billionaire chairman of Ineos, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, that ministers were overseeing the extinction of chemical manufacturing, one of the UK’s major industries, which was having “the life squeezed out of it” by high energy prices and carbon taxes. His comments came after Ineos closed its synthetic ethanol plant at Grangemouth, which was one of only two in Europe. The oil refinery at Grangemouth closed later in the year.
Thousands were left without power after Storm Eowyn saw rare red weather warnings issued and winds of up to 100mph sweep across parts of the country, causing widespread travel disruption. A 19-year-old motorist died after his car was hit by a falling tree during the storm, on a B road in East Ayrshire.
Nicola Sturgeon announced the end of her marriage to Peter Murrell, the SNP’s former chief executive. The former first minister said the pair, who had been one of the most powerful couples in UK politics, had been separated “to all intents and purposes” for some time. They first became a couple in 2003 and by the time they announced their engagement in January 2010, Ms Sturgeon had become deputy first minister.
February
Legal experts warned significant investment was needed in Scotland’s criminal justice system to drive down crippling delays that meant victims of serious offences were in some cases having to wait more than three years for verdicts. The lengthy waits were blamed on complex challenges faced by a system in which pressures stemming from the Covid pandemic were exacerbated by a surge in serious criminal cases.
The body of Fife businessman Campbell Scott was found in a sack of pineapples in Kenya. Two men were arrested after a cattle herder made the discovery around 65 miles from the capital Nairobi. Mr Scott, who was 58, had been in the African country for a finance conference when he went missing.
The Scottish Government was accused of failing to plan properly for its inclusion drive in school for pupils with additional support needs. Audit Scotland called for a review of school funding and staffing after a report highlighted a 768 per cent rise in the number of ASN pupils since legislation changed in 2004. The watchdog voiced fears many of these pupils were not receiving enough support in mainstream schools as teachers struggle to cope with deteriorating behaviour in classrooms.
Meanwhile, women’s rights campaigners warned the Scottish Government it faced “strong opposition” to any attempts to change the law on gender neutral toilets in schools as ministers prepared to launch a fresh consultation on the issue. Despite existing rules, many new or recently refurbished schools in Scotland contain mixed sex toilets. The campaign group For Women Scotland said the gender neutral facilities had a “devastating impact on pupils’ privacy, dignity and safety”.
Donald Trump accepted an invitation from the King for an unprecedented second state visit to the UK, hand delivered at the White House by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. The two leaders met in Washington DC amid efforts to agree a US “backstop” for any peace deal for the war in Ukraine and hopes of securing a US-UK trade deal.
March
A cargo ship carrying highly toxic sodium cyanide burst into flames after it crashed into an oil tanker that then leaked jet fuel intended for the US military into the North Sea. The Solong container ship was travelling from Grangemouth when the collision took place with the Stena Immaculate tanker off the coast of East Yorkshire. The tanker was operating as part of the US government’s Tanker Security Programme, a group of commercial vessels that can be contracted to carry fuel for the military when needed.
Cycling legend Sir Chris Hoy joined the King to officially start the countdown to the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games. Charles handed a wooden baton to the six-time Olympic champion to launch the King’s Baton Relay at Buckingham Palace, with 500 days to go until the sporting event begins.
The challenges facing Scotland’s higher education sector were thrown into sharp relief as Dundee University announced plans to axe around 20 per cent of its 3,000-strong workforce as it tried to save £75 million. Making the announcement, Interim Principal Professor Shane O’Neill said an external investigation would be launched to find out “what went wrong”.
Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s longest-serving first minister, announced she would stand down from the Scottish Parliament. She spoke of her “sense of relief” as she confirmed she would not context the 2026 Holyrood election, admitting she had known “for some time” this would be the case.
Organisers announced the Tour de France will start in Edinburgh in 2027, delivering an expected multi-million pound economic windfall for Scotland. The city was chosen to provide a “magnificent backdrop” to the Grand Départ of the men’s race, with the event expected to draw massive crowds.
Scotland’s finance secretary Shona Robison accused the UK Labour government of ushering in “austerity on stilts” and pushing people into poverty after Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced a tightening of benefits payments in her Spring Statement.
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