Tuesday briefing: The factors that will shape the future of Scotland

In today’s newsletter: As Scottish voters prepare to go to the polls, how can Labour, Reform and the Conservatives capitalise on weakening trust in the SNP?Good morning. The SNP has been in government since 2007, a phenomenal 19-year run, but polling suggests Scottish voters’ trust in its ability to deliver is weakening. In May, Scotland goes to the polls for the seventh Holyrood election since devolution in 1999 – a contest that could significantly realign the nation’s politics.In what some viewed as a desperate attempt to capitalise on the moment, Labour’s leader in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, called on Keir Starmer to resign last week, possibly trying to paint himself as his own man, not attached to a deeply unpopular Westminster government that currently polls third in the run up to May’s elections. Meanwhile, Reform UK’s steady polling numbers show them second to the SNP, which they are hoping to turn into a meaningful elected presence at Holyrood for the first time.UK politics | Ministers have dropped controversial plans to delay 30 local elections this May after receiving legal advice that doing so might not be lawful.Business | UK bank bosses will hold their first meeting to establish a national alternative to Visa and Mastercard, amid growing fears over Donald Trump’s ability to turn off US-owned payment systems.Social media | Keir Starmer has pledged action on young people’s access to social media in “months, not years”, while saying this did not necessarily mean a complete ban on access for under-16s.Sarah Ferguson | Six companies linked to Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s ex-wife, Sarah Ferguson, are being wound down in the wake of revelations about her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein.Film | Robert Duvall, the veteran actor who had a string of roles in classic American films including Apocalypse Now, The Godfather, M*A*S*H and To Kill a Mockingbird, has died aged 95. Continue reading...