Scotland’s bond gambit is a political game of kilts vs gilts November 19, 2025 The SNP’s plan to issue quasi-sovereign bonds is little more than a political gesture that will ultimately push up the price of borrowing, says Tim Focas The Scottish government’s plan to issue its first-ever £1.5bn of quasi-sovereign bonds, known as “kilts”, is being pitched as a confident stride towards financial maturity. In reality, it looks [...]
Scotland can help power the UK’s fintech sector October 6, 2025 With a highly educated workforce and growing specialisms in fintech and green finance, Scotland can help power growth, writes Alastair King.
My favourite Nasdaq-listed, Chinese-owned, Cayman-incorporated Scottish castle August 22, 2025 A question: what’s the fastest-growing hotel group in Britain? You might opt for Premier Inn, the Whitbred-owned budget chain that’s set to open more than 1,000 new rooms this year. A wildcard choice might be Yotel, the group set up by Yo! Sushi man Simon Woodroffe that’s ballooned from a single site in 2007 to two dozen [...]
Multi-club ownership: Why EFL rule change will help in transfer market July 5, 2025 While multi-club ownership across the football industry continues to grow and remains a headache for Uefa, the EFL has gone the other way and taken the decision to remove restrictions for member teams to invest into sides across Ireland and Scotland for the first time. Under new regulations coming into effect next season, the EFL [...]
Farage has a point, the UK should stop subsidising Scotland June 11, 2025 It may have lost him the byelection, but Nigel Farage has a point about Scottish spending, writes Paul Ormerod.
Trespass: Profit plummets as sales remain static at outdoor clothing brand April 1, 2025 Profit at the company behind outdoor clothing giant Trespass plummeted as sales remained static during its latest financial year. Jacobs & Turner has reported a pre-tax profit of £1.2m for the year to 30 June, 2024, down from the £9.6m it achieved in the prior 12 months. New accounts for the business, which have been [...]
Sir Andy Murray’s five-star hotel significantly cuts losses March 21, 2025 The five-star luxury hotel owned by Sir Andy Murray significantly cut its losses during its latest financial year, it has been revealed. The business behind Cromlix Hotel, which is located near the two-time Wimbledon champion’s hometown of Dunblane in Scotland, has reported a loss of £369,045 for the year to 31 March, 2024. The figure [...]
Grangemouth: Green future for oil refinery needs £3.5bn, report finds March 19, 2025 Delivering a green future for the Grangemouth oil refinery will require around £3.5bn in private investment, a report has found. The long-awaited Project Willow study, which itself cost £1.5m, sets out nine options for the future of the industrial cluster in central Scotland. Hundreds of jobs are set to be lost this year when the [...]
Ministers must get a grip of broken benefits system, Reeves insists March 15, 2025 Rachel Reeves has doubled down on the need to reform the welfare system, insisting the government must “get a grip” on it amid concerns from Labour MPs about the impact of expected cuts to the budget. The benefits system is “broken” and is “not working for anyone”, the Chancellor said. Backbench Labour MPs have made [...]
Grangemouth: Green projects at oil refinery site could cost £13bn March 12, 2025 Plans for new green projects at the Grangemouth oil refinery site in Scotland could reportedly cost up to £13bn. A feasibility study of possible options for the site – dubbed Project Willow – has listed nine opportunities including recycling plastics and producing biomethane, to create a “flourishing low carbon hub” over the next two decades, [...]