Trump's comeback, a £40bn tax raid and the death of a political giant

OCTOBER

Iran launched dozens of missiles into Israel as months of fighting with Tehran’s proxies Hezbollah and Hamas escalated into a wider regional conflict. Iran said it had launched the missile strike in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. A statement also made reference to Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh who was killed in Tehran in July.

Legal experts warned Labour’s ending of the VAT exemption on private school fees could create a “domino effect” that will lead to more school closures, along with fluctuations in house prices and changes to catchment zones. Partners at the Scottish law firm Lindsays outlined various potential consequences of the UK government policy, which is due to come into force in January.

A defence pact was signed in Berlin that will see German reconnaissance aircraft operate from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray. The submarine-hunting P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft will patrol the North Atlantic as the UK and its allies respond to the growing threat from Russia.

A sheriff said the death of a Scottish toddler struck by a car being driven by a 91-year-old woman with dementia should spark a major overhaul of the way older drivers are deemed fit to take to the roads. Xander Irvine was killed after being hit by Edith Duncan's vehicle as she performed a turning manoeuvre in Edinburgh's Morningside Road in June 2020.

Mourners gathered in Strichen, Aberdeenshire, for the funeral of former first minister Alex Salmond, following his body’s repatriation from North Macedonia, where he had suffered a fatal heart attack. Kenny MacAskill, the acting leader of the Alba party, delivered the eulogy for his friend of 60 years and a political colleague of more than four decades.

Piper Fergus Mutch, who previously worked for Alex Salmond, leads the funeral cortege as it leaves the funeral service for the former first minister at Strichen Parish Church in Aberdeenshire | PA

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced extra taxes of £40 billion a year as she increased government borrowing and spending to "rebuild Britain" in Labour’s first Budget for 14 years. She also unveiled an additional £3.4bn for Scotland, representing the largest real-terms funding settlement since devolution began. She confirmed plans to hike employers' national insurance contributions and increase capital gains tax, while also making changes to inheritance tax.

NOVEMBER

The SNP government U-turned on plans for piloting juryless rape trials. Justice Secretary Angela Constance said “there is not enough cross-party support at this time for such a pilot”. The proposals had been heavily criticised by lawyers and judges, with lawyers threatening to boycott any pilot scheme.

Rugby star Stuart Hogg pleaded guilty to a charge of domestic abuse against his estranged wife. The former Scotland captain, who plays for French club Montpellier, admitted to acting in an abusive manner against Gillian Hogg, and sending her messages of an alarming and distressing nature. Hogg, 32, pleaded guilty to a single charge when he appeared at Selkirk Sheriff Court.

Donald Trump achieved one of the most remarkable political comebacks in US history, with the Republican nominee upsetting predictions to win a second presidential term comfortably. His return to the White House was effectively secured after he was projected to reclaim the battleground state of Wisconsin from the Democrats, adding to earlier triumphs in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and North Carolina. In his victory speech he vowed to usher in a "golden age of America".

Health Secretary Neil Gray apologised for giving the impression of acting "more as a fan and less as a minister" after he was chauffeured to Aberdeen football games in a ministerial car. Mr Gray, who is an Aberdeen fan, told MSPs he was sorry for the "error" of how this looked, but insisted it was legitimate government business. He said he should have gone to a "wider range" of matches.

The SNP’s leader at Westminster, Stephen Flynn, backed down on his controversial bid to be both an MP and an MSP, admitting to party colleagues he had “got this one wrong”. Mr Flynn had planned to seek the nomination for the Aberdeen South and North Kincardine seat at Holyrood, currently held by the party's Audrey Nicoll. He also said he would look to continue as an MP until the next general election, sparking an internal backlash within the SNP.

DECEMBER

TV star Gregg Wallace apologised for claiming complaints about his behaviour came from "a handful of middle-class women of a certain age". The MasterChef presenter posted a video on Instagram as he faced various allegations, including making "inappropriate sexual jokes". He was later replaced on the show by restaurant critic Grace Dent.

SNP Finance Secretary Shona Robison used her Budget to pile pressure on Labour by pledging to abolish the controversial two-child benefit cap. The finance secretary also warned under-pressure local authorities not to hike council tax bills by unprecedented amounts, stressing her Budget "should enable all councils to keep any council tax rises to a minimum”. The spending plans included a record £21bn of funding for the NHS, a £2bn increase, and local government receiving an extra £1bn.

Edinburgh City Council’s leader Cammy Day resigned over allegations he sent sexually explicit messages to Ukrainian refugees. The Labour councillor had led the local authority since May 2022. Labour managed to retain control of the council under a minority administration propped up by Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, with Jane Meagher appointed the local authority’s new leader.

The UK Labour government was accused of betrayal after ministers rejected calls to compensate women affected by changes to the state pension age - a move described as an “insult” by the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) campaign. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar was one of many Labour critics of the move.

A bus crashed into a Glasgow railway bridge that had already been struck by vehicles 17 times in just over a decade. One passenger, a 60-year-old man, was left in a critical condition after the double-decker became wedged under the bridge at Cook Street. Six others were taken to hospital for treatment to minor injuries. Five days later, four people were hurt when the roof of a double-decker bus was torn off as it crashed into a railway bridge in Kilmarnock.