“Struggling” nurseries are considering legal action over the Scottish government’s expansion of free childcare, reports The Scotsman. First Minister Humza Yousaf wants to expand the policy to cover one and two-year-olds, but the Scottish Private Nursery Association (SPNA) is concerned over the way funds for the scheme are distributed via councils – some of which have been accused of not paying private nurseries fair rates, the paper reports.
The Scottish Sun leads with a care worker who woke to find an intruder in her bedroom hours before he murdered a former GP in Forfar.
The Daily Record leads on a renewed work-to-rule threat from the Police Federation in a battle over pay. Officers want an 8.5% pay rise to bring them in line with teachers and firefighters, though they are not allowed to strike, the paper reports.
A slump in the number of affordable homes in Scotland makes the front page of The Herald. While ministers cited “global issues” for the decline, Scottish Labour said the figures represented a “supreme failure” by government, the paper reports.
The National leads with SNP MP Dr Philippa Whitford, who says Scottish independence is “key to protecting” the NHS – ahead of the health service’s 75th anniversary.
The Scottish Daily Express leads with a motion that will go before Orkney Islands Council to investigate “alternative forms of governance” and could even become a self-governing territory of Norway. Council leader James Stockan has said the islands do not get fair funding with its current relationship with the UK – the paper says Orkney has become “disillusioned with the Scottish government”.
The Times warns of summer air travel “chaos” with air traffic control expected to become overloaded at many key locations.
The i leads on a poll which suggests the public blames Downing Street for high inflation – and that voters have “turned” on Rishi Sunak. It says six in 10 people say the prime minister’s record is “poor” while 57% believe that Brexit has damaged the British economy.
The chancellor is “deeply” concerned that banks are closing accounts because they disagree with customers’ opinions, writes The Daily Telegraph. Banks are to be told by the Treasury that they must protect free speech, the paper writes.
The Scottish Daily Mail leads with the government’s plan to ban the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030. The paper writes that manufacturers and industry leaders are calling on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to rethink the timescale or “risk ruinous economic consequences”.
The Ashes dominates the front page of the Metro with the headline “just not cricket!”. The paper leads with a story about how some members of the Marylebone Cricket Club “angrily confronted” Australian players in Lord’s Cricket ground’s Long Room as they walked past. The scenes unfolded after England batsman Jonny Bairstow was controversially given out during play earlier in the day.
The Press and Journal leads with a respected cricket umpire who narrowly missed being struck by lightning before a match over the weekend. Kim Neil from Nairn told the paper she was “inches from death”.
Jobless teachers makes the front page of The Courier which says hundreds are going into the school holidays without a job to return to. The paper features a man who has no interviews despite filling out 40 job applications and who has been forced to use a food bank to feed his family.
Edinburgh has one of the worst clear-up rates for housebreaking in Scotland with 80% of cases unsolved, reports the Edinburgh Evening News.
The Evening Express leads with a man in court over a “killer clown hoax” that led to an armed police response.
And the Evening Telegraph leads with a couple’s “living hell” due to their flat being infested with mould and insects.
