Good evening, The big news story of the day has been Dominic Cummings' press conference as the Prime Minister's senior adviser insists he didn't do anything wrong by travelling from London to Durham, citing concern for the wellbeing and safety of his family. With lockdown set to be eased in Scotland later this week, which will coincide with temperatures soaring into the 20s, we hope you do not follow the lead of Mr Cummings and continue observing the guidelines, both in their current form and when they change. It is a difficult thing to ask when some of the most powerful people in the country are refusing to do likewise, but it is the best way for us to come out of this pandemic together. Here are tonight's headlines: Boris Johnson's senior aide Dominic Cummings said his decision to drive to County Durham was based not only on fears over a lack of childcare if he became incapacitated with Covid-19 but also concerns about his family's safety. The SNP have lodged a parliamentary motion calling on the Prime Minister to sack his top aide Dominic Cummings over apparent breaches of lockdown rules. Nicola Sturgeon has admitted that older people may have died as a result of the government’s decision to discharge them from hospitals into care homes as it readied the NHS for coronavirus patients. Nicola Sturgeon remains “very hopeful and optimistic” that her government will be able to begin lifting the lockdown in Scotland this Thursday. Nicola Sturgeon has announced that further three people have died after testing positive for coronavirus bringing the total to 2,273. Also, there are 15, 156 patients who have tested positive for the virus, up 55 in the last 24 hours, with 1,269 patients in hospital and 40 in intensive care. Message from the editor Thank you for reading this story on our website. 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. Joy Yates Editorial Director |