| Good morning, Scotland’s public spending deficit could hit a record high of 28 per cent next year, as Scottish Government figures showed that last year’s deficit had risen to £15.1 billion even before the Covid pandemic hit the economy. While Nicola Sturgeon said the Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland (GERS) figures were not a reflection on the potential financial status of an independent Scotland, the data – which is produced by the Scottish Government – revealed that the gap between taxes raised and public spending had grown from 7.4 per cent in 2018 to 8.6 per cent last year. The current deficit for the UK as a whole is 2.5 per cent. Full story HERE A message from the editor: While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you. With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription. Subscribe to scotsman.com and enjoy unlimited access to Scottish news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit https://www.scotsman.com/subscriptions now to sign up. Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website. Your feedback is really important, please email me with any comments and suggestions at joy.yates@jpimedia.co.uk Joy Yates Editorial Director JPIMedia Scotland | 
