A fresh pay deal is expected to be offered to teachers which could help avoid a national strike on Thursday, according to The Scotsman. The paper says the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) – the country’s largest teaching union – is ready to accept a new offer after members rejected a 5% uplift.
The Scottish Daily Express leads with claims that figures in the UK government are pushing for a softer Brexit, which some MPs are calling “absurd”. The paper says the idea would involve a “Swiss-style” agreement with Brussels, tying the UK to EU laws.
The i leads with the same story, saying Tory Eurosceptics have told Prime Minister Rishi Sunak there can be no Swiss-style trading relationship with the EU. The government has categorically denied that the model is an option. Jubilant Ecuador fans are also pictured after Qatar were beaten by the South American nation in the opening match of the World Cup.
The Times quotes a backbencher who said the last few months of Tory leadership turmoil would be a “walk in the park” compared to rebellions that would emerge if the Brexit agreement was softened. The paper says the PM has spoken of his desire to improve the relationship with the EU and reach a deal over the Northern Ireland protocol early next year.
Leading Brexiteer MPs were dismayed by the idea of a softer Brexit, saying it would be a “betrayal of the freedoms” won in the 2016 referendum, according to The Telegraph. It says at least one MP contacted Downing Street to seek reassurances.
The Press and Journal leads with a vigil held for a grandmother who is missing after being swept away by the River Don. The woman, named locally as Hazel Nairn, was walking her dog before the incident on Friday, the paper reports.
The Herald leads with an investigation into who owns Scottish cities, saying that only one third of properties on the country’s busiest shopping streets are owned by companies registered in Scotland. It says the majority of city centre properties are owned by tax haven firms, property investors, pension firms and overseas firms.
The father of a 13-year-old who died after taking cocaine at a party has called on the government to create new legislation for causing death by drug dealing, reports the Daily Record. Grace Handling’s family told the paper they were heartbroken after a jury returned a not proven verdict for Callum Owens, who was charged with culpable homicide.
The Scottish Daily Mail says soaring numbers of prisoners in Scottish jails are using mobile phones, issued by the government, to commit crimes from their cells. The paper says an “open-ended” scheme launched during the pandemic to give each prisoner a phone because visits had stopped has cost £4m.
The Scottish Sun leads with a woman in Elgin who claims her neighbour’s “dodgy” customised e-bike started a fire that destroyed her home. The paper says it is believed the owner of bike had modified it using an online conversion kit.
The National leads with calls for SNP members to join Scottish independence rallies across the country on Wednesday. The party’s policy development convener Toni Giugliano said supporters needed to be “bold and visible” on the day the Supreme Court judges whether the Scottish Parliament can hold a second independence referendum without Westminster’s approval.
The Metro leads on comedian Joe Lycett apparently burning £10,000 in cash to protest against David Beckham’s role as an ambassador for the Qatar World Cup, with the headline “wad a waste”. The paper says the protest “sparked a storm” as the TV host donned ear defenders and a rainbow tulle as he livestreamed himself pouring notes into a wood chipper.
The Courier leads with assurances from Perth and Kinross Council after it emerged that a man who admitted assaulting a child was allowed to continue fostering. Paul Martin, the paper says, was jailed for sex offences against teenagers while he was a foster carer in Perth in the 1990s. Social work chiefs accused him of pulling the wool over the eyes of social workers, the paper adds.
The Evening Telegraph pictures the burned-out wreckage of a car that burst into flames in a supermarket car park in Dundee.
The managing director of Lothian Buses has appealed to customers for more courtesy and consideration towards drivers and other staff after an upsurge in abusive behaviour, reports the Edinburgh Evening News.
The Evening Express leads with a man who was caught growing 30 cannabis plants in his bedroom after neighbours raised concerns about his welfare with police.
And the Daily Star of Scotland says fans of the national team are being urged to throw their support behind Australia in the World Cup because of their Scottish-born player Jason Cummings.
