A sharp slice of what matters in Scottish law

First Minister John Swinney has predicted Andy Burnham will be the UK's last Prime Minister and called for a Scottish independence referendum before the current Holyrood term ends in 2031. Swinney joined Welsh First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth and Sinn Féin leaders Michelle O'Neill and Mary Lou McDonald in Cardiff, where they backed greater cooperation and the right to self-determination. Swinney said polling indicated Scots would now choose independence if offered another referendum. Burnham recently told MPs a vote could be held if there was a "clear consensus" in Scotland, although he subsequently told Swinney that a referendum remained "off limits". The Conservatives accused nationalist leaders of seeking to break up the UK, while the UK Government said Burnham remained committed to the Union and was focused on economic and household priorities.

 

Glasgow Evening Times

Ayr Advertiser

Dunfermline Press

 

Tax experts have unanimously backed revaluing every home in Scotland as part of potential Council Tax reform, arguing the current system based on 1991 property values is outdated. Roundtables organised through a Scottish Government and COSLA programme considered options including expanding the existing eight bands to 14 or introducing a proportional property tax. Participants generally favoured retaining a national valuation system, while allowing councils some flexibility over tax rates. They also discussed transferring liability from occupiers to property owners, although concerns were raised about landlords passing costs to tenants. Experts supported transitional protections and improvements to Council Tax Reduction for households facing higher bills.

 

The Daily Record

Revenue Scotland has clarified that aggregate excavated as a necessary part of Scottish construction projects can qualify for a tax exemption, regardless of its subsequent use. The revised guidance follows concerns raised by Pinsent Masons over an earlier example. Partner Bryn Reynolds said the change provides greater certainty for construction and infrastructure businesses assessing their Scottish aggregates tax liabilities.

 

Scottish Legal News

 

Macdonald Henderson has appointed Laura McKnight as managing director, succeeding David Beveridge, who remains head of corporate. McKnight said the Glasgow law firm has a strong deal pipeline, driven partly by business owners considering succession and increased international investment. She said rising UK taxation was accelerating decisions among mid-market owners. The firm plans organic growth across its practice areas but has no immediate plans for further acquisitions.

 

The Herald

Burges Salmon has appointed Benn Richards as a partner in its dispute resolution team. Joining from Michelmores, Richards specialises in contentious insolvency and restructuring, advising insolvency practitioners, lenders, companies and directors. The appointment strengthens the law firm’s restructuring and insolvency practice and its capabilities in complex, high-value commercial disputes.

 

Herald Scotland

Alexander Hutcheon, a 71-year-old Aberdeen lawyer, has been sentenced for a prolonged campaign of abuse against a woman. The High Court in Glasgow heard that Hutcheon engaged in stalking, harassment, and physical violence over 18 months. Despite his guilty plea, Lord Renucci opted for a community payback order instead of prison, citing various factors. Hutcheon must complete 200 hours of unpaid work, undergo supervision for three years, and wear an electronic tag for eight months.

 

STV	The Press and Journal

Three men have appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court following arrests linked to alleged firebombings amid renewed gang violence. Reece Goodfellow and Dylan Hogg face charges connected with a Kirkintilloch garage blaze, while Kyle Hamilton was charged over a separate car fire. All were remanded in custody. A fourth man was also charged following an incident in Eaglesham, while police recovered four stolen vehicles.

 

The Daily Record

Glasgow MP Zubir Ahmed has called for a temporary halt to placing asylum seekers in the city, citing pressure on housing and local services. Government data shows Glasgow houses 3,938 Home Office-assisted asylum seekers, the highest number in the UK. Ahmed wants accommodation distributed more evenly among council areas and has also called for Scotland’s local connection rule to be restored. Refugee charities say halting asylum dispersal would not resolve Glasgow’s wider housing crisis.

 

STV

The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) has urged the UK Government to create a new Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bill to address the technology’s threat to human rights. They say current legislation targets system users, rather than developers, leaving oversight bodies powerless to evaluate tools before public use. The report recommends a risk-based regulatory regime and mandatory transparency requirements to protect individuals and ensure accountability in AI development. The call comes after Anthropic boss Dario Amodei called for development to be slowed – a position backed by Elon Musk and OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman.

 

The Independent UK

Scotland is leading innovation in the investment fund sector with the launch in June this year of the first publicly available tokenised UK authorised bond fund. Baillie Gifford launched the product, advised by CMS. Jamie Marshall, a financial services specialist at CMS, points out that tokenised funds, which use distributed ledger technology, offer benefits such as reduced costs and faster settlement times. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has been consistently enthusiastic and constructive about fund tokenisation, but favourable conditions need to be capitalised on, says Marshall, as he urges rapid industry adoption to help "achieve the critical mass needed to refine the operating model."

 

The Scotsman

Nigel Farage has threatened to ban union funding of political parties if Reform UK wins power. The row over party funding has turned increasingly bitter after two billionaires donated a combined £72m to Reform in recent days, arguing that they wanted the party to be operating on a level playing field when it fights the next election. In response, Labour has said it intends to change the law to make such donations illegal but ensure the millions contributed by the unions can still get through. Writing in the Telegraph, Farage says Labour spent £30m at the last election, the Tories £23m and Reform UK just £5.5m. The established parties "have been having kittens" over Reform’s donations because they want to preserve their "exclusive little club". Farage goes on to detail how big donors to the legacy parties always seem to end up in the Lords, whereas his donors want nothing in return and won’t be influencing policy.

 

The Daily Telegraph

The Daily Telegraph

The Guardian