Plans by Boris Johnson’s closest allies to “stop” former Chancellor Rishi Sunak becoming prime minister lead most of the front pages. The Metro reports that Mr Sunak has nearly twice as many declared supporters as any of the other seven candidates as they prepare to face the first ballot of Conservative MPs.
The Scottish Daily Express reports that the “Boris loyalists” are now uniting behind Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. The paper also asks “Should BBC stars really be earning so much?” after the corporation published the salaries of its biggest names.
Eight contenders will be on the ballot paper when Tory MPs begin voting for the next prime minister, reports The Scotsman. The paper says Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Tom Tugendhat, Kemi Badenoch, Penny Mordaunt, Jeremy Hunt, Nadhim Zahawi and Suella Braverman all secured the 20 nominations from fellow MPs needed to enter the contest and face the vote.
The front page of the i features pictures of the remaining candidates as well as the four – Sajid Javid, Grant Shapps, Priti Patel, and Rehman Chishti – who either quit or decided not to enter the race after failing to gain enough support. The paper also carries an appeal from a group of Tory MPs urging the next prime minister not to abandon the government’s pledges on climate change.
The rivalry between Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss is the focus for the lead story in The Times Scotland. The paper says the leadership contest “descended into vitriol” on Tuesday, with cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is backing Ms Truss, accusing Mr Sunak of damaging the economy and plotting to oust Mr Johnson for more than six months.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph in his first campaign interview, Rishi Sunak vows to run the economy in the same way as Margaret Thatcher if he becomes prime minister. He tells the paper “we will cut taxes and we will do it responsibly”, adding: “You have to earn what you spend”.
The UK government has urged the UK’s highest court to reject Nicola Sturgeon’s request for clarity on the legality of her planned second independence referendum, says the Scottish Daily Mail. The paper says the UK Government told the Supreme Court that it would be “premature” to hold a case on whether the SNP can go ahead with an independence vote without first obtaining a Section 30 order.
The National also reports on the UK government asking the Supreme Court to “throw out” indyref2. The paper says a spokesman for Nicola Sturgeon said the people of Scotland had already voted clearly in favour of indyref2.
An 18-year-old girl has died after falling 50ft from cliffs in the Scottish Highlands, reports the Daily Record. The paper says Alesha Wright was critically injured in the incident at the Victoria Walk area in Thurso. The paper says a 26-year-old man was also rushed to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
The Herald leads with new findings which show that over one in three young women in Scotland said they have been in an intimate relationship with someone who harmed them physically or emotionally. The study recommends that education on domestic abuse and unhealthy relationships should be part of Scotland’s national curriculum or should be brought into all schools and education settings by external expert organisations.
The Scottish Sun reports that a “hate killer” has been branded a terror threat, two years after switching jails as he serves life for murdering newsagent, Asad Shah. The paper says Tanveer Ahmed, 38, is on the radar of prison chiefs who have received intelligence that he poses a danger behind bars. Mr Ahmed stabbed Mr Asad, 40, outside his shop in Shawlands, Glasgow, in 2016.
NHS Lothian has issued a warning to the government that GP services are at risk in Maybury, Shawfair and South East Edinburgh. The Edinburgh Evening News reports the alert was first issued in October 2020. Edinburgh South Labour MP Ian Murray says a senior official told him “no direct response to this has ever been received, despite numerous reminders”.
The Press and Journal reports a new mother feared she would die while waiting for an ambulance after suffering a massive haemorrhage. Kate MacRae, 30, said 999 call handlers put her husband’s pleas for help in a queue for a call back instead of sending help. A surgeon who operated on her said it was a “dangerous” decision not to send an ambulance and it was a “severe near-miss” she suffered no permanent physical harm.
Scottish Transport Secretary Jenny Gilruth is facing anger over a lack of trains for the estimated 300,000 people descending on St Andrews for the Open golf championship, reports The Courier. The paper says despite ScotRail train drivers accepting a pay deal, there is still no clear date for a return to normal service, leaving the hundreds of thousands of golf fans without a reliable train service from other parts of the UK.
A pastor who escaped a life of gang violence and crime that culminated with him being held at gunpoint has graduated from university at the age of 52, reports the Glasgow Times. Stuart Patterson who was offered a scholarship at Glasgow’s Hutchesons’ Grammar, dropped out of education at 15 and slid into a life of drugs, drink and violence. The dad-of-three now runs a community church in Easterhouse.
A woman is facing court over an alleged £238,000 romance fraud plot targeting an 85-year-old Aberdeen man, says the Evening Express. The paper says Cheryl Mitchell is accused of romance fraud and trying to illegally obtain financing for a number of cars, including an Audi Q3 and a BMW 4 Series.
The Evening Telegraph reports that free bus travel for young people has been blamed for causing the mass brawl that occurred on Broughty Ferry beach.
And The Daily Star of Scotland leads with the salaries of the BBC’s top earners, which have been disclosed in the corporation’s annual report. The paper says Match Of The Day presenter Gary Lineker earns £1.35m for “doing a job our readers could do standing on their heads”.
