2019 in Scotland explained

Events from the year 2019 in Scotland.

Incumbents

• First Minister – Nicola Sturgeon
• Secretary of State for Scotland
  • David Mundell (until 24 July 2019)
  • Alister Jack

Events

• 2 January – Abellio ScotRail announces average rail fare increases of 2.8%, lower than the average 3.1% increase announced for England and Wales.^[1]
• 24 January – Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond is arrested and charged with multiple counts of sexual assault and two charges of attempted rape.^[2]
• 24 February – The new BBC Scotland channel has five of the top ten most-watched programmes across Scotland on its Sunday launch night.^[3]
• 19 March – Scotland's unemployment rate is reported to have fallen to a new record low of 3.4% between November and January, well below the UK average of 3.9%.^[4]
• 20 March – The Scottish economy grew by 0.3% in the final three months of 2018 compared to a figure of 0.2% for the UK as a whole.^[5]
• 29 March – The final episode of the popular sitcom Still Game is broadcast on BBC Scotland.^[6]
• 1 April – New legislation known as Frank's Law – extending free personal care to under-65s living with disabilities and degenerative conditions – has come into effect.^[7]
• 23 May – 2019 European Parliament election in the United Kingdom is held. Results are announced on 27 May after the polls close in all EU member states. In the Scotland constituency, the Scottish National Party wins the popular vote with 594,553 votes and has the highest share of the vote with 37.8%, finishing in sixth place overall and returning 3 MEPs.
• 6 June – Natalie McGarry, former SNP MP for Glasgow East is jailed for 18 months having earlier pleaded guilty to charges of embezzlement. In total, she stole more than £25,000, including donations for a local food bank, spending the funds on rent and a holiday in Spain.^{[8] [9]}
• 16–28 July – Scotland hosted the 2019 UEFA Women's Under-19 Championship.^[10]
• 12 October  - Plastic-stemmed cotton buds are prohibited in Scotland.^[11]
• 3 November  - Scottish Conservative MP Ross Thomson announces he will not stand for re-election following claims by Scottish Labour MP Paul Sweeney of 'groping' in the Palace of Westminster.^[12]
• 12 December  - At the 2019 UK general election, the Scottish National Party wins a landslide in Scotland, winning 48 of the 59 seats. Their victory is not as large as it was in 2015, but the Scottish Lib Dems replace Scottish Labour as the third party, pushing Labour into fourth place with one seat.^[13] Jo Swinson, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, loses her East Dunbartonshire UK Parliament constituency seat to Amy Callaghan of the Scottish National Party by 150 votes.
• 18 December  - Michael Matheson, Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity, announces that it will exercise a break clause in the Abellio ScotRail railway passenger service franchise in March 2022.^[14]
• 28 December  - Highest ever maximum temperature for December in the UK, 18.7 °C, recorded at Achfary in the Highlands.^[15]

Deaths

• 1 January – Freddie Glidden, 91, footballer (Hearts, Dumbarton).^[16]
• 19 January – Ted McKenna, 68, drummer (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band).^[17]
• 22 January – Andrew Fairlie, 55, chef.^[18]
• 24 January – Hugh McIlvanney, 84, sports writer (The Sunday Times).^[19]
• 10 March – Angus Sinclair, 73, serial killer.^[20]
• 16 November – John Campbell Brown, 72, Astronomer Royal for Scotland (since 1995).^[21]

See also

• 2019 in England
• 2019 in Northern Ireland
• 2019 in Wales

Notes and References

1. Web site: ScotRail 'rip-off' rail fares condemned as tickets increase by 2.8%. BBC. 2 January 2019. 2 January 2019.
2. News: Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond arrested. BBC. 24 January 2019. 24 January 2019.
3. News: New BBC Scotland channel peaks at 700,000 viewers on launch night . BBC News . 25 February 2019. 25 February 2019.
4. News: Scotland's unemployment rate hits new low at 3.4% . BBC News . 19 March 2019. 19 March 2019.
5. News: Scottish economy continues to grow . BBC News . 20 March 2019. 20 March 2019.
6. Web site: Still Game final episode: Faceless favourite revealed as sitcom ends . www.scotsman.com . 29 March 2019 . 30 December 2020 . en.
7. Web site: Frank's Law: From petition to policy. 1 April 2019. BBC News. 1 April 2019.
8. Web site: Former MP who stole £25,000 from charities and foodbanks is jailed. 6 June 2019. Metro. London.
9. Web site: Former SNP MP Natalie McGarry jailed for embezzling thousands from pro-independence groups. Auslan. Cramb. 6 June 2019. The Daily Telegraph. London.
10. Web site: UEFA Women's Under-19 EURO Draw Held in Glasgow . www.scottishfa.co.uk . 30 December 2020.
11. Web site: The Environmental Protection (Cotton Buds) (Scotland) Regulations 2019. legislation.gov.uk. Scottish Statutory Instruments no. 271. 2019-08-29. 2020-08-10.
12. News: Tory MP Ross Thomson quits after 'grope' claim by Labour MP Paul Sweeney. BBC News. BBC. 3 November 2019. 3 November 2019.
13. News: Scotland election results 2019: SNP wins election landslide in Scotland. BBC News. BBC. 13 December 2019. 14 December 2019.
14. News: Abellio ScotRail contract to end three years early. BBC News. BBC. 2019-12-18. 2020-01-03.
15. Subject to verification. Web site: New maximum temperature for December recorded in Highlands. BBC News. 2019-12-31. 2020-01-03.
16. Web site: Hearts great Freddie Glidden dies aged 91. Sky Sports.
17. Web site: Ted McKenna, drummer with Rory Gallagher, SAHB, Michael Schenker, dead at 68. Fraser Lewry 2019-01-19T13:17:16Z Classic. Rock. Classic Rock Magazine. 19 January 2019 .
18. Web site: Gleneagles chef Andrew Fairlie dies after long-term brain tumour battle. HeraldScotland. 22 January 2019 .
19. Web site: Hugh McIlvanney, doyen of sportswriting, dies aged 84. Sean. Ingle. 25 January 2019. The Guardian.
20. News: World's End serial killer Angus Sinclair dies. BBC News. 11 March 2019.
21. Web site: Prof. John Brown, OBE (1947–2019). University of Glasgow. 18 November 2019.