Exactly how much money does Scotland contribute to England?

Good morning,

Welcome to your midweek edition of The Scotsman newsletter.

We start with good news. 'Happy Monday' is coming. From 17 May Scots will be able to hug and meet in each other's homes as Scotland's Covid rules are relaxed. It will be the most significant easing of restrictions in mainland Scotland in eight months, allowing families to reunite and grandparents to hold their grandchildren again - well, except, it seems, if you're in Moray.

Whether you are staunchly pro-union, a dyed in the wool nationalist or anything in between it is impossible to deny the Scottish independence debate is once again at the very forefront of the national conversation.

We constantly see debates in our comment sections from both sides around the Barnett formula. Conor Marlborough revisits the topic and answers exactly how much money does Scotland contribute to the UK in taxes?

Scotland’s 129 newly-elected and returning MSPs will be sworn into office today at the Scottish Parliament in a ceremony that sees them all pledge their allegiance to the Queen.

The oath itself is a fascinating reminder of the Royal Family's role within the machinery of our democracy. MSPs can choose to swear an oath or an affirmation of loyalty but all must take part. A relic of a bygone era or a treasured part of political life in the UK? You can have your say in our comment section.

After more than 200 years of publishing The Scotsman, we’ve built up quite an archive of images of Scotland.

So we uncovered some snapshots of our past, and now we’re inviting you to participate in our ‘Where and When’ image competition, where your knowledge of Scotland could win you a National Trust Scotland Annual Pass, which lets you visit any National Trust Scotland site in the UK for a full year.

To enter identify where and when the archive images were taken. Everyone who enters will receive a 40% discount code for a digital subscription with us. The contest ends on 16 May.

There are only two days left to take advantage of our 25 per cent off annual subscriptions offer. If you value what we do, consider subscribing to us from just 18p a day for a whole year of quality Scottish journalism. Use SCOTELEC21 at checkout to get your discount. Sign up today.

Thanks for reading, more headlines below,

Sam Shedden