2023 in Scotland

Events from the year 2023 in Scotland.

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See also:List of years in Scotland
Timeline of Scottish history
2023 in: The UK • England • Wales • Elsewhere
Scottish football: 2022–23 • 2023–24
2023 in Scottish television

Incumbents

Events

January

February
  • 9 February – The Scottish Prison Service concludes its review of accommodating transgender prisoners, and recommends that transgender prisoners initially be accommodated according to their sex at birth while an individual assessment is carried out.[12]
  • 10 February – Following a legal challenge by lap dance performers and club owners, a ban on lap dancing clubs in Edinburgh, scheduled to come into force in April, is overturned by Edinburgh's Court of Session after it finds Edinburgh City Council acted illegally by voting to limit the number of sexual entertainment venues in the city from four to zero.[13]
  • 15 February – Nicola Sturgeon announces her resignation as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party after eight years in the role; she will stay on until her successor has been elected.[14]
  • 16 February – Deputy First Minister John Swinney rules himself out of the SNP leadership contest.[15]
  • 17 February – The Royal College of Nursing recommends its members accept a new pay offer of 6.5%. The offer from the Scottish Government also includes changes to conditions.[16]
  • 19 February –
    • Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf and former Minister for Community Safety Ash Regan become the first two candidates to announce they will stand in the Scottish National Party leadership election.[17] Keith Brown, the SNP's depute leader, Neil Gray, the Minister for International Development, and Màiri McAllan, the Environment Minister, all rule themselves out of the contest.[18]
    • In a speech to the Scottish Labour Party conference in Edinburgh, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer rules out a deal with the SNP "under any circumstances", and warns against complacency following the departure of Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and First Minister.[19]
  • 20 February – Finance Secretary Kate Forbes announces she is running in the Scottish National Party leadership election.[20]
  • 21 February –
    • Kate Forbes insists her campaign to become the next SNP leader has not been derailed after she lost the support of several colleagues following comments about same-sex marriage and having children outside marriage, both of which she is opposed to as a member of the Free Church of Scotland.[21]
    • MSPs vote 68–57 to approve the Scottish Government's budget for the 2023–24 financial year, which includes a tax rise for everyone in Scotland earning more than £43,662.[22]
  • 23 February – Sir Iain Livingstone announces he will retire as Chief Constable of Police Scotland in the summer after five years in the post.[23]
  • 24 February
    • Nominations close for the SNP leadership election, with Kate Forbes, Ash Regan and Humza Yousaf having all reached the threshold of supporters to go forward into the contest.[24]
    • Two crew died after tugboat capsized & sank close to Greenock harbour.[25][26]
  • 25 February – Members of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA) vote to accept a new pay offer from the Scottish Government, and announce they have suspended strike action scheduled for the following week.[27]
  • 28 February – Transgender rapist Isla Bryson is sentenced to eight years in prison with a further three years supervision.[28]

March
  • 1 March – Statistics released by the Scottish Government indicate Scotland's economy grew by 0.1% during the three months from October to December 2022.[29]
  • 2 March – Minister for Transport Jenny Gilruth announces plans to nationalise the overnight Caledonian Sleeper train service that links London with several locations in Scotland, taking effect from 25 June.[30]
  • 3 March –
  • 6 March – BBC News reports that the Scottish Prison Service is to be investigated for corporate manslaughter over the death of Allan Marshall, a prisoner at HMP Edinburgh, who died after being restrained by 13 prison officers in 2015.[33]
  • 7 March – STV hosts the first televised debate of the Scottish National Party leadership election.[34]
  • 10 March – Members of Scotland's largest teaching union, the Educational Institute of Scotland, vote to accept a pay deal from the Scottish Government that will end ongoing strikes in schools.[35]
  • 13 March – Voting opens in the Scottish National Party leadership election.[36]
  • 14 March –
    • Members of the NASUWT narrowly vote to accept a pay offer, ending the prospect of further strike action in schools in Scotland.[37]
    • BBC Scotland hosts the final televised debate of the SNP leadership election.[38]
  • 16 March – Scientists identify a gene variant that is known to increases the risk of breast and ovarian cancer, and trace it to people with Orkney Island heritage, more specifically those with ancestry on the island of Westray.[39]
  • 18 March – Peter Murrell resigns as chief executive of the Scottish National Party amid a row over party membership.[40] Mike Russell succeeds him as interim chief executive.[41]
  • 21 March – At 8pm, Times Radio airs a leadership debate from Edinburgh and featuring the three candidates in the Scottish National Party leadership election.[42]
  • 22 March –
    • First Minister Nicola Sturgeon issues a "sincere, heartfelt and unreserved" apology to people affected by the practice of forced adoption in Scotland during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.[43]
    • A major incident is declared, with 35 injuries reported, after the 76m-long RV Petrel research vessel tips over at a dock in Leith.[44]
  • 23 March –
  • 24 March – Research led by the University of Edinburgh suggests one in 50 people in Scotland have had lasting ill-effects after contracting COVID-19.[47]
  • 25 March – HIV Scotland announces it will close due to issues with governance and financials.[48]
  • 27 March – Humza Yousaf is elected as First Minister.[2]
  • 28 March –
  • 29 March – Humza Yousaf is sworn in as Scotland's First Minister at Edinburgh's Court of Session and begins naming his cabinet.[51]
  • 30 March –

April
  • 2 April – Stand up comedian Janey Godley wins the inaugural Billy Connolly Spirit of Glasgow Award at the Glasgow International Comedy Festival.[54]
  • 4 April – Data produced by Public Health Scotland indicated that one in three people referred with urgent suspicion of cancer are waiting longer than the target date of 62 days.[55]
  • 5 April – Police arrest former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell as part of their investigation into the party's finances, but release him without charge pending further investigation.[56]
  • 6 April – Following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh, Kashif Anwar is convicted of the murder of his pregnant wife, Fawziyah Javed, who he pushed from a rocky outcrop on Arthur's Seat during a holiday in September 2021. He is sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 20 years.[57]
  • 7 April –
    • BBC News reports that Johnston Carmichael, the accountants who audit the SNP's accounts, have resigned from the role, citing a their decision to do so as having been taken following a review of their clients.[58]
    • The Unite union announces that around 1,300 offshore workers are to stage a 48-hour strike from 24 April over pa, affecting production at dozens of oil and gas platforms.[59]
    • Around 100 workers at Rosyth Dockyard belonging to Unite have voted to strike between 17 April and 10 July in a disagreement with their employers over pay.[60]
  • 8 April – SNP president Mike Russell tells The Herald newspaper he does not think Scottish independence can be achieved "right now", and that the party is facing its biggest crisis for 50 years.[61]
  • 12 April –
  • 13 April – Representatives from BBC Scotland, STV, Viaplay and the Scottish FA meet to discuss the broadcasting of men's football in Scotland, the rights of which are owned by Viaplay until 2028. The meeting, to discuss showing free-to-air matches, ends without resolution, but is described by Gavin Newlands MP as encouraging.[64]
  • 15 April –
  • 16 April –
    • The Sunday Mail publishes leaked video purporting to show Nicola Sturgeon playing down concerns about the SNP's finances.[67]
    • The SNP says that its finances are "in balance" following reports the party is facing a financial crisis.[68]
  • 18 April – SNP treasurer Colin Beattie is arrested and questioned by Police Scotland in connection with their ongoing investigation into the party's finances.[69]
  • 19 April – Colin Beattie resigns as SNP treasurer with immediate effect.[70]
  • 22 April – Police Scotland make several arrests at Ayr Racecourse as the protest group Animal Rising attempts to disrupt the Scottish Grand National by invading the course. The race is temporarily delayed but goes ahead, with the race being won by Kitty's Light.[71] 24 people are subsequently charged in connection with the disruption.[72]
  • 25 April – The Scottish Government introduces the Victims, Witnesses, and Justice Reform (Scotland) Bill, which includes measures to scrap the verdict of not proven and to reduce the number of jurors in Scottish trials from 15 to 12. The bill will also provides for a pilot scheme whereby some rape trials will be held without a jury.[73]
  • 28 April –
  • 29 April – The constituency Labour parties of Rutherglen and Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse have written to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to make a formal complaint about the selection process for candidates, after being "inundated" with complaints by local members about a "lack of transparency".[76]

May
  • 1 May – Former US President Donald Trump arrives in Aberdeen to visit his Scottish golf properties.[77]
  • 2 May – The Scottish Government reverses plans to give £46m to colleges and universities, having identified the money as an "essential saving".[78]
  • 3 May – The SNP signs a contract with a new auditor, Manchester-based AMS Accountants Group.[79]
  • 4 May – Deputy First Minister Shona Robison confirms the Scottish Government will go ahead with its pledge to provide free school meals for all primary school pupils in Scotland.[80]
  • 5 May – Junior doctors in Scotland vote to stage a three day strike over their demand for a 23.5% above inflation pay increase from the Scottish Government.[81]
  • 10 May – Prime Minister Rishi Sunak urges the Scottish Government to rethink its plans to introduce Highly Protected Marine Areas in Scottish waters, which would restrict fishing and other human activities to preserve the environment.[82]
  • 12 May – The Stand Comedy Club reinstates an Edinburgh Fringe show to be staged by SNP MP Joanna Cherry after previously cancelling it after it said staff were uncomfortable with her views about transgender people.[83]
  • 15 May – Stagecoach Group launches a driverless bus service on the Forth Road Bridge, believed to be the world's first.[84]
  • 16 May – COVID-19 in Scotland: The rules requiring people to wear face masks in Scottish care homes and healthcare settings come to an end after three years.[85]
  • 17 May –

Deaths

See also

References
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  45. "Nicola Sturgeon defends her record at final FMQs". BBC News. BBC. 23 March 2023. Retrieved 23 March 2023.
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  47. "One in 50 people in Scotland had long Covid – landmark study". BBC News. BBC. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
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