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2026 in Scotland

Events from the year 2026 in Scotland.

Events

January

  • 1 January –
  • Major reforms to Scotland's justice system, including scrapping the not proven verdict, come into force.
  • The Met Office issues an amber weather warning for heavy snow in parts of northern Scotland for Friday 2 January and Saturday 3 January.
  • 2 January – Heavy snow causes disruption, including train cancellations to and from Thurso.
  • 4 January – A new amber weather alert for heavy snow comes into force for northern Scotland, starting at 6pm and lasting until 10am on Monday 5 January. A number of schools in Aberdeenshire, Shetland and Orkney due to return from the Christmas holiday postpone their reopening, while schools in Aberdeen are scheduled to have a late start.
  • 5 January –
  • First Minister John Swinney proposes 15 June 2026 as a national bank holiday to coincide with Scotland's first World Cup match since 1998, which will occur on 14 June when they play Haiti.
  • Fresh warning for ice and snow covering all of Scotland are issued for Tuesday 6 January.
  • Wilfried Nancy resigns as manager of Celtic F.C. after losing six of the eight games he has presided over since taking up the role in December. Former manager Martin O'Neill returns for the remainder of the season.
  • 6 January –
  • Aberdeenshire Council declares a major incident following several days of heavy snow in north east Scotland.
  • A Parliamentary investigation finds that Justice Secretary Angela Constance broke the ministerial code after making controversial comments about a grooming gangs expert in parliament.
  • The Scottish Parliament confirms that MSPs will receive a 4.3% pay rise from April, taking their annual income from £74,507 to £77,710.
  • Launch date of STV Radio, with Ewen Cameron and Cat Harvey presenting the weekday breakfast show.
  • 7 January –
  • Plans for a new Scottish Dark Sky Observatory are submitted more than four years after the old one was destroyed by fire.
  • Plans are unveiled to add a public hall to the east wing of Dumfries House in Cumnock, East Ayrshire, which currently serves as the headquarters of the King's Foundation. The venue would be hired out for weddings.
  • 8 January –
  • MSPs vote 65–54 in favour of the Building Safety Levy (Scotland) Bill, which proposes raising about £30m in tax on housebuilding.
  • Several thousand starfish are unexplainedly washed up at Wardie Bay in Granton, where they are discovered by swimmers.
  • 9 January –
  • Resident doctors in Scotland call off a planned four-day strike, scheduled to begin on Tuesday 13 January, following a renewed pay offer, which will be put to British Medical Association members via a ballot.
  • Stella Maris, the rector of St Andrews University, is removed from her role as president of the university court for allegedly failing to follow governance rules.
  • Storm Goretti: As the north and northeast of Scotland experiences its ninth day of snow, a further yellow alart for snow is issued covering Saturday 10 January and Sunday 11 January.
  • 10 January – The severe weather warning for Scotland is upgraded to amber with more snow expected on Sunday 11 January.
  • 11 January – Heavy rain and melting snow bring flooding to parts of Scotland as temperatures rise following a week of cold weather.
  • 12 January – Thomas Craig, who tried to kill another man on a train with a smashed glass bottle, is sentenced to 12 years in prison.
  • 13 January – Finance Secretary Shona Robison delivers the 2026 Scottish budget, which includes changes to tax thresholds, an increase in taxation on residential properties worth over £1m and an increase in the Scottish Child Payment.
  • 15 January – Malcolm Offord is announced as the leader of Reform UK in Scotland.
  • 16 January – A £50m lawsuit against the Scottish Government over its failed deposit return scheme (DRS) is rejected following a legal hearing.
  • 19 January – Scottish singer-songwriter Jacob Alon is named as the winner of the 2026 Brits Critics' Choice Award.
  • 20 January – Liridon Kastrati is sentenced to ten years in prison for the attempted murder of a police officer who he chased with a chainsaw in Paisley, Renfrewshire, in May 2024.
  • 21 January – The Met Office issues an amber weather warning for heavy rain for parts of Scotland, which is in place from midnight on 22 January until 4pm on the same day.
  • 22 January – A coroner's inquest urges better signing at an area of the Brecon Beacons known as Waterfall Country following the deaths of three people there during two separate incidents.
  • 23 January –
  • At a hearing at Glasgow Court of Justiciary, Ethan O'Kane is sentenced to six and a half years in prison over his part in an April 2023 attack on former housing association chairman John McLardie, who died several months after striking his head on the pavement in Glasgow.
  • Water bills in Scotland will rise by 8.7% from April, an average of £42 a year.
  • 24 January – Heavy rain causes disruption in the Central Belt, with a yellow weather warning for further rain in north eastern Scotland on Sunday 25 January.
  • 26 January –
  • Scottish Conservative councillor for Dunoon ward Daniel Hampsey defects to Reform UK.
  • An inquest into the death of former Scotland and Manchester United footballer Gordon McQueen rules it is likely that repeatedly heading the ball led to his brain damage and eventual death.
  • 27 January – Brewdog announces it is to stop making spirits at its distillery in Aberdeenshire.
  • 30 January – Tesco says it has suspended its use of a salmon farm in Skye following reports from an animal welfare charity that diseased fish were dumped into a sea loch and that five salmon were left to suffocate before they were processed.

February

  • 1 February – Sandy Brindley, the founder and chief executive of Rape Crisis Scotland, announces she will step down from the post after 24 years.
  • 2 February –
  • The Scottish Government says it will not support the Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill, a bill tabled by Independent MSP Ash Regan that would criminalise payment for sex.
  • The Met Office issues a yellow weather warning for fresh snowfall and high winds, which is in force from midnight on Monday 2 February until 3pm on Wednesday 4 February.
  • 3 February – MSPs reject the Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill by 64 votes to 54.
  • 5 February –
  • The King grants Scotland a one-off extra Bank Holiday for Monday 15 June to coincide with Scotland's first FIFA World Cup match since 1998, which takes place the day before.
  • Fashion retailer Quiz enters administration for the third time in six years, with 109 jobs at risk.
  • MSPs back the Non-surgical Procedures and Functions of Medical Reviewers (Scotland) Bill, which would see the introduction of restrictions on cosmetic procedures including botox injections and non-surgical Brazilian butt lifts.
  • 6 February – Nicola Christiano, who attempted to rape a female passenger on an easyJet flight from Naples to Edinburgh in May 2025, is sentenced to six years in prison.
  • 10 February –
  • Scottish Labour removes the party whip from MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy while it investigates her links with a convicted sex offender.
  • The Scottish Government has paid around £400,000 to the campaign group For Women Scotland after it lost a legal case brought by the group over the definition of a woman.
  • Newspaper publisher Reach announces the closure of its Glasgow printing works, with the loss of 100 jobs, with operations to be transferred to Oldham in Lancashire.
  • 11 February –
  • Pay increases of 10% to executives at NHS Lothian and NHS Greater Glasgow are suspended following a backlash by unions.
  • Scottish rocket manufacturer Orbex announces its intention to appoint administrators after failing to secure funding, a merger or a buyer.
  • 12 February – Aberdeen's longest period without sunshine since records began comes to an end, with the last sunny period in the city recorded on 21 January.
  • 13 February –
  • It emerges that former Scottish National Party chief executive Peter Murrell is to face charges of embezzling £459,000 from the party over a period of twelve years.
  • The return of the MV Glen Sannox, which has been out of action for three months, is delayed for a further week because of a fault with its anchor mechanism.
  • 14 February –
  • It is reported that the Scottish Government is taking legal action against 250 dentists for not treating enough patients after receiving bursaries.
  • 2026 Six Nations Championship: Scotland defeat England 31–20 at Murrayfield to win the Calcutta Cup.
  • 15 February – It is reported that transgender doctor Beth Upton, who was at the centre of the Peggie v NHS Fife legal case, has stopped working for the NHS.
  • 17 February – Appeal judges overturn Scottish Government approval of the Wull Muir windfarm in the Borders region, which has been rejected on three previous occasions.
  • 20 February – Scottish Water warns the residents of the Perthshire village of Killin not to use tap water for anything but flushing the toilet after an attempted fuel theft at a petrol station lead to contamination of a local water treatment works.
  • 21 February –
  • Kenny MacAskill, leader of the Alba Party, says the party is unlikely to contest the 2026 Scottish Parliament election because of its "perilous financial situation".
  • Two people are killed following a single-vehicle crash on the A830 near Fort William.
  • 22 February – Tommy Sheridan, Angus MacNeil, Christina Hendry and Suzanne Blackley issue a joint statement in which they offer to take over leadership of the Alba Party to ensure it can contest the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
  • 24 February – MSPs reject the Scottish Parliament (Recall and Removal of Members) Bill, which would have introduced a recall system for MPs suspended from parliament for ten days or longer.
  • 25 February –
  • MSPs vote 66–29 to approve the £68bn 2026 Scottish budget, which includes changes to income tax rates and levies on properties.
  • The Scottish Government orders an inquiry into grooming gangs.
  • Former leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Douglas Ross, is banned from Holyrood for a day for questioning the impartiality of the Presiding Officer.
  • Former gamekeeper David Campbell is found guilty of the murder of Brian Low, a colleague who he shot dead on a path in Highland Perthshire in February 2024, before attempting to cover his tracks.
  • 27 February – Police Scotland confirm that two people were rescued and a third died following a joint operation with mountain rescue on An Teallach, Wester Ross, on 19 February.

March

  • 3 March – Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop announces that Ardrossan Harbour will be taken into public ownership.
  • 4 March –
  • Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland vote to take strike action over teachers' workloads.
  • Sally Donald, an SNP candidate in the forthcoming Scottish Parliament election, stands down after it emerges she is being investigated for benefit fraud.
  • 7 March – Iran war: First Minister John Swinney says he is willing to consider banning US military aircraft from using Prestwick Airport if they are taking part in airstrikes on the Middle East.
  • 8 March –
  • A man dies outside the UK's first drug consumption room in Glasgow.
  • Police Scotland make a number of arrests after fans and police officers were injured during a pitch invasion at Ibrox stadium following a football match between Celtic and Rangers.
  • Fire breaks out in a vape shop adjacent to Glasgow Central railway station, causing major disruption to train services to and from the station.
  • Kenny MacAskill announces that the Alba Party will be wound down due to its "dire financial plight".
  • 9 March –
  • Glasgow Central railway station remains closed following the previous day's fire, while Network Rail warns that travel disruption will remain for several days.
  • Police Scotland confirm that nine people have been arrested following the previous day's pitch invasion at Ibrox statium.
  • 11 March –
  • The Educational Institute of Scotland reaches a deal with the Scottish Government that could avoid strikes in six council areas over a long-running dispute, but the deal must first be ratified by Cosla.
  • Andrea Manson resigns as convener of Shetland Islands Council two weeks after being banned as a company director over unpaid tax.
  • 12 March –
  • Fiona McQueen resigns as chairwoman of the Scottish Police Authority.
  • A review finds that Scottish Parliament staff have reported 84 cases of bullying, Harassment or sexual harassment since 2021.
  • 13 March –
  • Glasgow City Council begins demolition work on the B-listed Victorian Union Corner building next to Glasgow Central railway station following the fire which left it in a dangerous state, with Network Rail saying that the railway station will be closed until at least Wednesday 18 March.
  • Serenity Francis Johnston, a transgender woman who carried out sex attacks, including rape, against a number of young girls, is sentenced to nine years in prison.
  • A project to restore the Kalemouth Suspension Bridge over the River Teviot in the Scottish Borders receives £250,000 of National Lottery Heritage Funding.
  • A man is killed following a collision between two cars and a motorcycle on the B4074 in South Ayrshire.
  • 14 March – A man is fatally injured during a collision between two vehicles on the A92 road in Fife.
  • 17 March – MSPs vote 69–57 against legalising assisted dying in Scotland.
  • 18 March –
  • Glasgow Central railway station partially reopens following the Union Street fire.
  • Liam McArthur, whose bill to allow assisted dying in Scotland, was defeated in the previous day's Scottish Parliament vote, rules out reintroducing it after the 2026 election.
  • Work begins on the construction of Scotland's first Center Parcs holiday village near Hawick.
  • MSPs vote to approve the Prohibition of Greyhound Racing (Scotland) Bill, outlawing greyhound racing in Scotland, 24 hours after the Welsh Senedd passed similar legislation.
  • 19 March –
  • A man is fatally injured after being hit by a vehicle on the M80 motorway near Falkirk.
  • Police are treating the death of Joanne Newlands, who was discovered at a block of flats in Glasgow on 17 March, as murder.
  • 20 March –
  • Stuart Niven, announced as a Reform UK candidate for the 2026 Holyrood election the previous day, is suspended from the party following reports he was disqualified as a company director.
  • Councillors in Clackmannanshire vote to remove and replace a stone slab marking a visit to Alloa by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
  • 21 March – A 51-year-old cyclist is fatally injured after being involved in a crash with a car on the B9074 on Shetland.
  • 22 March –
  • Glasgow Central railway station's Hope Street exit will reopen following demolition work to a building affected by the Union Street fire.
  • Specialist members of the armed forces are to be called in to assist police in a fresh search for the remains of mother and son Renee and Andrew MacRae, who disappeared 50 years ago.
  • 23 March –
  • Scotland becomes the first part of the UK to test newborn babies for Spinal Muscular Atrophy.
  • The UK government announces a £9m investment in new projects at the former Mossmorran ethylene plant.
  • The Argyll and Bute Council Harbour Board gives the go-ahead for a new ferry to Jura following £19m of investment from the Scottish Government.
  • 24 March –
  • MSPs pass legislation on the restraint and seclusion of school children, requiring the Scottish Government to issue guidelines on the matter.
  • Malcolm Offord, Reform UK's leader in Scotland, apologises for making a homophobic remark about George Michael at a Burns Night supper.
  • 25 March –
  • Glasgow Central railway station will reopen all of its platforms following its closure because of the Union Street fire.
  • Reform UK's sole MSP, Graham Simpson, gives his backing to Malcolm Offord following the previous day's reports concerning a homophobic joke.
  • Raymond Munro, who killed a pedestrian while speeding at 91mph, is sentenced to four years in custody.
  • 26 March –
  • Jordan Linden, the former leader of North Lanarkshire Council, is found guilty of sexually assaulting five men.
  • A stone slab marking a visit to Alloa by Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor is removed a week after councillors voted to have it uninstalled.
  • 29 March –
  • Scottish gangland figure Steven Lyons is arrested at an immigration checkpoint on the Indonesian island of Bali. It emerges the following day that his partner, Amanda Lyons, was arrested in Dubai at the same time.
  • Amanda Dwyer wins the 2026 Sir Billy Connolly "Spirit of Glasgow" award at the city's comedy festival.
  • 31 March – Bus manufacturer Alexander Dennis announces proposals to close its Falkirk factory with the loss of 115 jobs.

April

  • 1 April –
  • Scottish Labour drops Mohammed Ameen, its candidate for Glasgow Southside, after he was charged with fraud.
  • North Lanarkshire councillor and SNP parliamentary candidate Tracy Carragher is suspended from the party after she was criticised for her handling of complaints about former council leader Jordan Linden, who was convicted of sexually assaulting young men.

Predicted and scheduled

Deaths

References