Scotland’s papers: Tory disquiet claim and Raab ‘goes down swinging’

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Douglas Ross’s leadership of the Scottish Conservatives is being questioned by party MSPs after he backed a tactical voting plan at the next general election to target SNP seats, according to the Scotsman. The paper reports “serious anger” among MSPs, with suggestions the party is “not far away” from a leadership challenge.

Meanwhile a story from Westminster dominates many of Saturday’s front pages – Dominic Raab’s resignation as justice secretary and deputy prime minister after an investigation upheld some bullying allegations against him. The National leads with calls from SNP MP Kirsty Blackman for Mr Raab to be excluded from all future Tory cabinets.

The Times features an interview with Mr Raab in which he claims that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government risks being derailed by “a tyranny of subjective hurt feelings” and activist civil servants.

The Telegraph says that Mr Raab resigned after an official found he bullied a British ambassador during Brexit talks. The paper also reports that the Duchess of Sussex expressed her concerns about unconscious bias in the Royal family in a letter to the King.

Mr Raab quit with a “blazing attack on activist civil servants”, the i newspaper says. Officials who worked under the former deputy prime minister said Mr Raab is “arrogant” and “playing the victim”, the i reports.

The Express reports that Mr Raab was “forced out” because of his “unwavering” determination to make Britain better, allies said. The paper also shows a photograph of children in the Royal Family helping to mark the late Queen’s birthday.

The Scottish Daily Mail leads with a poll which shows support the SNP has “slumped to a nine-year low”. The YouGov survey found that support for the party had fallen to 38% of Scottish Parliament constituency vote share – down from about 50% in late 2022, the paper reports. It adds Scottish Labour’s vote share rose to 30%, the highest projection since 2014.

Almost 3,800 children and adults are on the waiting list for treatment at Glasgow’s Sandyford gender identity clinic, the Herald reveals. The “toxic row” over transgender rights in Scotland has led to a recruitment crisis, health workers told the paper.

The Scottish Sun leads on claims that Prince Harry is hoping his trip to London for the King’s coronation will help to rebuild bridges among the royals.

A Press and Journal investigation reveals the use of mobile speed cameras on the A9 halved last year despite a 20-year high in fatal crashes.

Tougher international standards on air pollution are set to be applied in Scotland’s capital, according to the Edinburgh Evening News. City officials have warned Edinburgh will struggle to comply with updated World Health Organisation rules, the paper reports.

An £8m plan for an Aviation Academy in Dundee has been thrown into doubt after Tayside Aviation went into administration, the Courier reports. It says the firm was a key party of the Tay Cities project to set up the facility.

Staff at a Scottish wildlife centre have received threats from the public after four wolves were put down, the Weekend Telegraph reports. Camperdown Wildlife Centre in Dundee said the decision to euthanise four of its wolves following the death of their pack leader was done as a last resort.

Green councillors in Glasgow have warned that libraries are being closed “by stealth”. The Glasgow Times says there have been “dozens of full-day closures due to staff shortages in the last year”.