2020 in Scotland explained

Events from the year 2020 in Scotland

Incumbents

• First Minister – Nicola Sturgeon
• Secretary of State for Scotland – Alister Jack

Events

January

• 29 January – MSPs vote 64–54 to back calls for a second Scottish independence referendum.^[1]

February

• 6 February – Derek Mackay resigns as Finance Secretary hours before delivering his budget following reports that he messaged a sixteen-year-old boy on social media over a period of several months.^[2]
• 14 February – Jackson Carlaw is elected as leader of the Scottish Conservative Party.^[3]
• 17 February – Kate Forbes is appointed as Finance Secretary, the first woman to hold the post.^[4]

March

• 1 March – COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland: Authorities confirm the first case of the global COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, the index case of coronavirus being a traveller having returned from Italy.^[5]
• 13 March – COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland: Authorities confirm the first death from COVID-19 in Scotland.^[6]

April

• 3 April – The results of the 2020 Scottish Labour deputy leadership election are announced, in which Jackie Baillie is elected as the deputy leader of Scottish Labour.^{[7] [8]}

June

• 21 June – The 'Peebles Hoard', comprising Bronze Age horse harness, a sword in its scabbard and other artefacts including a "rattle pendant", is discovered near Peebles in the Borders by a metal detectorist.^[9]
• 26 June – Glasgow hotel stabbings.^[10]

August

• 4 August – The Scottish Qualifications Authority issues moderated grades to school pupils who have not been able to take examinations due to the COVID-19 pandemic;^[11] on 10 August, Nicola Sturgeon publicly accepts that her government "did not get it right" over this procedure.^[12]
• 5 August – Following the resignation on 30 July of Jackson Carlaw as leader of the Scottish Conservatives, he is succeeded by Douglas Ross MP.^[13]
• 11 August – Ruth Davidson is appointed Leader of the Scottish Conservatives in the Scottish Parliament by Douglas Ross, becoming the Leader of the Opposition again.^[14]
• 12 August – Stonehaven derailment: A passenger train derails after striking a landslip near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, with 3 deaths.^[15]

October

• 15 October – Kintore railway station reopens.^[16]

November

• 25 November – Scotland becomes the first country in the world to make it a legal duty for period products to be available to anyone for free after the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill is approved.^[17]

Deaths

January

• 6 January – Danny Masterton, footballer (Ayr United, Clyde) (born 1954)^[18]
• 12 January – Jackie Brown, boxer, Commonwealth Games gold medallist (1958), British and Commonwealth flyweight champion (1962–1963) (born 1935)^[19]
• 15 January – Bobby Brown, Hall of Fame footballer (Rangers, Queen's Park) and manager (national team) (born 1923)^[20]

February

• 6 February – Jimmy Moran, footballer (Norwich City, Northampton Town, Workington) (born 1935)^[21]

March

• 9 March – George Strachan, cricketer (national team) (born 1932)^[22]
• 11 March – Dave Souter, footballer (Clyde, Dundee) (born 1940)^[23]
• 12 March – Alexander Gordon, 7th Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, peer (born 1955)^[24]
• 30 March – Alex Forsyth, footballer (Darlington) (born 1928)^[25]

April

• 5 April – Dougie Morgan, rugby union player (Stewart's Melville, British and Irish Lions, national team) (born 1947)^[26]
• 14 April – Ron Wylie, footballer and manager (Notts County, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion) (born 1933)^[27]
• 23 April – John Murphy, footballer (Ayr United) (born 1942)^[28]

May

• 1 May – Derek Ogg, lawyer (born 1954)^[29]
• 2 May – John Ogilvie, footballer (Hibernian, Leicester City, Mansfield Town), COVID-19 (born 1928)^[30]

July

• 9 July – Johnny Beattie, actor (River City) and comedian (Scotch & Wry, Rab C. Nesbitt) (born 1926)^[31]
• 13 July – Pat Quinn, footballer (Motherwell, national team) and manager (East Fife) (born 1936)^[32]
• 15 July – Maurice Roëves, actor (Oh! What a Lovely War, Escape to Victory, Judge Dredd) (born 1937)^[33]
• 17 July – Alex Dawson, footballer (Manchester United, Preston North End, Brighton & Hove Albion) (born 1940)^[34]
• 21 July – Hugh McLaughlin, footballer (St Mirren, Third Lanark, Queen of the South) (born 1945)^[35]
• 24 July – David Hagen, footballer (Falkirk, Clyde, Peterhead), motor neuron disease (born 1973)^[36]

August

• 4 August – Willie Hunter, footballer (Motherwell, national team) and manager (Queen of the South) (born 1940)^[37]

September

• 7 September – Logie Bruce Lockhart, rugby union player (national team), schoolmaster, writer and journalist (born 1921)^[38]
• 20 September – Sir Malcolm Innes of Edingight, herald, Lord Lyon King of Arms of Scotland (1981–2001) (born 1938)^[39]

November

• 22 November – Hamish MacInnes, mountaineer (born 1930)^[40]

December

• 21 December – Sandy Grant Gordon, whisky distiller (born 1931)^[41]
• 26 December – Jim McLean, footballer and manager (Dundee United) (born 1937)^[42]

The Arts

• 11 February – Douglas Stuart's debut novel Shuggie Bain, a story of growing up in 1980s Glasgow, is first published in the United States; it wins this year's Booker Prize.^[43]
• October – Two of the five winners of the UK 2020 ArtFund Museum of the Year Award are Aberdeen Art Gallery and Gairloch Museum.^[44]

See also

• 2020 in England
• 2020 in Northern Ireland
• 2020 in Wales

Notes and References

1. News: Scottish independence: MSPs back new referendum in Holyrood vote . BBC News . BBC . 29 January 2020 . 29 January 2020.
2. News: Derek Mackay: Scottish finance secretary quits over messages to boy . BBC News . BBC . 6 February 2020 . 6 February 2020.
3. News: Scottish Conservatives: Jackson Carlaw succeeds Ruth Davidson as leader . BBC News . BBC . 14 February 2020 . 14 February 2020.
4. News: Carrell . Severin . Kate Forbes appointed Scotland's first female finance secretary . The Guardian . 17 February 2020 . 11 October 2020.
5. News: Coronavirus (COVID-19): First positive case in Scotland . Scottish Government . 1 March 2020 . 1 March 2020.
6. News: Coronavirus: Death of first Scottish patient with Covid-19 confirmed . BBC News . BBC . 13 March 2020 . 13 March 2020.
7. News: 3 April 2020 . Jackie Baillie elected Scottish Labour deputy leader . BBC News . 5 April 2020.
8. News: Riordan . Conor . 3 April 2020 . Scottish Labour names Jackie Baillie as new deputy leader . Daily Record . 5 April 2020.
9. Web site: Detectorist 'shaking with happiness' after Bronze Age find. BBC News. 2020-08-10. 2020-08-10.
10. Web site: Man shot dead by police after Glasgow stabbings . BBC News . 28 August 2020 . 26 June 2020.
11. News: Scotland's results 2020: How grades were worked out for Scottish pupils. Graeme. Esson. BBC News. 2020-08-04. 2020-08-10.
12. News: Nicola Sturgeon 'sorry' over Scottish exam results. BBC News. 2020-08-10. 2020-08-10.
13. Web site: 2020-08-05. Douglas Ross confirmed as Scottish Conservative leader. 2020-08-10. BBC News.
14. Web site: Scottish Conservatives appoint Ruth Davidson as Holyrood Leader. The Guardian. 29 October 2020. 11 August 2020.
15. Web site: Stonehaven crash: train derailed by landslip, investigators confirm . The Guardian . 28 August 2020 . 14 August 2020.
16. Web site: Aberdeenshire railway station reopens 56 years after closure . Evening Express . 15 October 2020 . 15 October 2020 . 17 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201017190014/https://www.eveningexpress.co.uk/news/scotland/aberdeenshire-railway-station-reopens-56-years-after-closure/ . dead .
17. Web site: Period poverty: Scotland first in world to make period products free . BBC News . 24 November 2020 . 24 November 2020.
18. News: Danny Masterton. Clyde F.C.. 6 January 2020. 7 January 2020.
19. News: McKenzie. James. Edinburgh boxing champion Jackie Brown who once shared dressing room with Muhammad Ali, dies aged 84 after dementia battle. Edinburgh Evening News. 13 January 2020. 15 January 2020.
20. News: Bobby Brown 1923–2020. Rangers F.C.. 15 January 2020. 17 January 2020. 27 January 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200127213816/https://rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/bobby-brown-1923-2020/. dead.
21. News: Jimmy Moran. Football Database. 12 February 2020.
22. Web site: George Strachan. East League. 12 March 2020.
23. Web site: Souter. Family Announcements. 11 April 2020. 16 March 2020.
24. Web site: Aberdeen. The Telegraph Announcements. 18 March 2020. 17 March 2020.
25. Web site: Obituary - Alex Forsyth . East Stirlingshire FC . 28 August 2020 . 30 March 2020.
26. Web site: Stewart's Melville, Scotland and Lions great Dougie Morgan passes away. The Offside Line. 5 April 2020.
27. Web site: Members News: Ron Wylie RIP (06/08/1933 -14/04/2020) : Coventry City Former Players Association CCFPA . www.ccfpa.co.uk . 23 November 2020.
28. Web site: Obituary: John 'Spud' Murphy, legendary Ayr United player . www.scotsman.com . 23 November 2020 . en.
29. News: 2 May 2020 . Tributes paid to top QC found dead at his Glasgow home . BBC News . 22 June 2020.
30. News: Popular Leicester City veteran defender dies after contracting coronavirus. Leicester Mercury. 3 May 2020.
31. News: Stage and screen entertainer Johnny Beattie dies aged 93. BBC News. BBC. 9 July 2020.
32. Web site: McGilvray. Andy. Former Motherwell star Pat Quinn has passed away. Daily Record . 13 July 2020.
33. News: Scottish actor Maurice Roeves dies aged 83. BBC News . BBC. 15 July 2020.
34. News: Alex Dawson: Ex-Man Utd, Preston, Bury, Brighton forward dies aged 80. BBC Sport. 17 July 2020.
35. Web site: St Mirren saddened to hear of passing of Hugh McLaughlin. St Mirren Football Club. 27 July 2020.
36. Web site: David Hagen: Ex-Rangers player dies aged 47 after MND battle. BBC Sport. BBC. 25 July 2020. 25 July 2020.
37. Web site: Former Portsmouth assistant manager Willie Hunter dies aged 80. Portsmouth News. 4 August 2020.
38. News: Logie Bruce-Lockhart obituary. The Times. 19 September 2020.
39. News: Sir Malcolm Rognvald Innes of Edingight. The Times. 26 September 2020.
40. News: Hamish MacInnes was a giant among men and mountains. Martyn. McLaughlin. 25 November 2020. 25 November 2020. The Scotsman.
41. Web site: Obituary: Alexander (Sandy) Grant Gordon CBE - The founding father of Single Malt . DRAM Scotland . 20 January 2021 . 8 January 2021.
42. News: Jim McLean: Dundee Utd announce death of legendary manager aged 83 . 5 February 2021 . BBC Sport . 26 December 2020.
43. News: Flood. Alison. 2020-11-19. Douglas Stuart wins Booker prize for debut Shuggie Bain. 2020-11-19. The Guardian. London.
44. Web site: Meet our winners. 2020. 2020-10-13. Art Fund.