Nicola Sturgeon's Covid tears, Kate's altered image and a fugitive Highland monkey

JANUARY

Campaigning began ahead of a general election that was expected to be called later in the year. Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer promised his party would restore trust in politics and vowed his party would be dedicated to serving working people. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said it was his “working assumption” that he would call a general election in the second half of the year, despite pressure from opposition parties, and that “in the meantime I’ve got lots that I want to get on with”.

The future of Glasgow's famous Charles Rennie Mackintosh Willow Tea Rooms has been secured after the venue was taken into the care of the National Trust for Scotland. The charity made the move after the tea room ran into financial difficulty and faced the risk of closure.

The Rwanda Bill passed through the House of Commons after a Tory rebellion over the policy collapsed. MPs on the right of the party had sought compromises from Downing Street over the legislation, only to buckle when it came to the vote. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak saw off the rebellion, with MPs voting 320 to 276 for the Safety of Rwanda Bill despite weeks of protests from Tory MPs.

The UK Covid Inquiry heard former first minister Nicola Sturgeon failed to retain any pandemic WhatsApp messages "whatsoever", in what was described as a "cynical and pre-meditated decision" to delete key information. A hearing in Edinburgh was told the former first minister's messages were deleted "in routine tidying up of inboxes or changes of phones", while her former deputy, John Swinney, used an auto-delete function. Meanwhile, Jason Leitch, Scotland's national clinical director, told civil servants in one Covid messaging group: "WhatsApp deletion is a prebed ritual."

Former Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove later told the inquiry Ms Sturgeon sought to diverge from the UK government at certain points during the coronavirus pandemic in order to advance the SNP's "political agenda". Mr Gove said there were occasions when Scottish ministers "looked at things through a particular prism with respect to whether or not the case could be made, in due course, for independence, and that therefore there were certain occasions where divergence was being considered through a political lens".

FEBRUARY

Ms Sturgeon fought back tears as she insisted at the UK Covid Inquiry that she did not seek to take political advantage of the coronavirus pandemic. She admitted deleting WhatsApp messages despite previously indicating to journalists that she would hand them over. She also rejected accusations that the pandemic response was run on her "instincts", or that she had "carte blanche" to make decisions without the approval of her wider Cabinet.

Former first minister Nicola Sturgeon leaves the UK Covid-19 Inquiry hearing, after giving evidence, at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre | PA

A Japanese macaque was returned to Highland Wildlife Park four days after escaping from his enclosure. Honshu, nicknamed Kingussie Kong by locals, was found in the back garden of a house in Kincraig enjoying a mouthful of peanuts from a bird feeder. Honshu was later moved to Edinburgh Zoo.

Buckingham Palace announced the King was being treated for cancer. The disease was discovered while King Charles was being treated in hospital for an enlarged prostate. The Palace said King Charles personally called both his sons Harry and the Prince of Wales to share news of his health. Kensington Palace announced the Princess of Wales had received abdominal surgery shortly before Buckingham Palace revealed Charles’s diagnosis.

Scottish health secretary Michael Matheson quit after months of pressure over a parliamentary iPad bill of almost £11,000. His sons racked up the charges by watching football while on holiday in Morocco. The cost was initially picked up by the taxpayer but Mr Matheson agreed to reimburse it after an outcry.

Iain Packer was convicted of murdering Emma Caldwell nearly 19 years after her death. After Packer’s sentencing, police admitted major failings that had justice to numerous female victims of violence and sexual crimes. Police Scotland said the former Strathclyde Police should have carried out further investigations into the 27-year-old's death following initial enquiries in 2005. Packer was also convicted of violent and sexual crimes against several other women and sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 36 years.

MARCH

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt used his Spring Budget to announce the windfall tax on oil and gas profits would continue for another year. The 35 per cent surcharge on profits, due to high energy prices, had been scheduled to end in March 2028. The move provoked a furious response from Scottish Tory MPs, who vowed to defy the government by voting against the policy.

The Princess of Wales apologised for the “confusion” over a manipulated family photograph released by Kensington Palace. Kate said sorry with a statement on social media that read: "Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing." The photograph of Kate and the children, taken by the Prince of Wales, was the first to be issued since her abdominal surgery and was released by the Palace to mark Mother's Day.

The following week, Kate released an emotional video message in which she revealed she was undergoing treatment for cancer. She spoke about the "huge shock" after tests identified the condition following abdominal surgery and the "incredibly tough couple of months" her family had experienced.

The chief executive of the Scottish Government-owned Ferguson Marine shipyard in Port Glasgow was sacked following “concerns regarding his performance”. David Tydeman was fired by Wellbeing Economy Secretary Mairi McAllan, who said a further delay to the delivery of two ferries was “unacceptable”. Mr Tydeman had repeatedly highlighted the yard was having to rectify made under previous management, such as sections built in the wrong order.