As the Brexit debate continues, Notre Dame goes up in flames
In the second part of our series, Martin Mclaughlin looks back at the birth of a royal baby, a former MSP being jailed and a 20-year Holyrood anniversary
APRIL
The UK’S deadline for leaving the EU is pushed back to 31 October – with or without a deal – in the wake of Theresa May’s failure to push a deal through the Commons.
Former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale says she has struck a victory for “free speech and a healthy democracy” after winning a defamation case brought against her by Stuart Campbell, better known as the pro-independence blogger, Wings Over Scotland.
Natalie Mcgarry, the former SNP MP, pleads guilty to embezzling more than £25,000 from pro-independence groups. The ex-politician took the largest amount from Women for Independence, where she held the role of treasurer.
New legislation extending free personal care in Scotland to under-65s comes into force. The so-called Frank’s Law stemmed from a successful campaign by Amanda Kopel.
Police in Edinburgh describe the murder of former boxer and Trainspotting actor Bradley Welsh as a “targeted attack”.
The start of a Fatal Accident Inquiry into the 2013 Clutha helicopter tragedy hears moving tributes to the ten people killed.
Julian Assange, the cofounder of Wikileaks, is arrested at the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he first took refuge in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden.
Edinburgh University rights a 150-year-old wrong by awarding honorary degrees to seven pioneering female medical students. They were the first women to study medicine at a UK university, but werebannedfromgraduating.
Journalist Lyra Mckee is shot dead by dissident republicans during a riot in Londonderry. The unrest is believed to have been orchestrated by members of the New IRA. A vast fire engulfs the historic Notre-dame cathedral in Paris, prompting an international fundraising campaign to restore the Unesco World Heritage site.
Three children of Anders Holch Povlsen, one of the biggest landowners in Scotland, are among 259 people killed in a series of terror attacks in Sri Lanka.
Celtic and Scottish football mourns the deaths of two of the country’s most revered players, Billy Mcneill and Stevie Chalmers, part of the Glasgow club’s Lisbon Lions side.
Tiger Woods rolled back the years in thrilling fashion to win his fifth Masters title with an emotional victory at Augusta.
MAY
A tearful Theresa May announces she is to step aside as Conservative leader on 7 June amid intensifying criticism of her stewardship of the Brexit process.
The Brexit Party wins 29 seats in the UK’S European elections. The SNP increases its number of MEPS from two to three, while Scottish Labour loses both its seats.
Gavin Williamson is sacked as defence secretary following an inquiry into a leak from a top-level National Security Council meeting which discussed whether to allow Chinese firm Huawei to play a part in the UK’S 5G data network.
A review of mental health provision following two suicides at Polmont Young Offenders’ Institution identifies systemic failings and a lack of attention to those at risk.
The city council in Edinburgh draws up plans to ban cars which fail to meet strict pollution limits, and which would permit only relatively new diesel vehicles with ‘Euro 6’ engines’
Former Liberal leader Lord Steel says he is “relieved” that an investigation launched after he gave evidence about child abuse allegations against the former MP Sir Cyril Smith concluded there were no grounds for action.
The Scottish Government is accused of “hypocrisy” after abandoned a pledge to cut airline taxes.
Six men guilty of a savage gangland murder plot in Glasgow are jailed for a total of more than 104 years. The gang, said to be part of the Lyons crime clan, were found guilty of plotting attempts to kill five men linked to a rival gang.
The disgraced Fiona Onasanya becomes the first MP to be removed by a recall petition.
ITV axes The Jeremy Kyle Show after 14 years following the death of a guest who took part in the programme.
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcome their son,
Archie, into the world. He becomes the Queen’s eighth great-grandchild.
Doris Day, the US actress and singer who was one of Hollywood’s biggest stars during the 1950s and 1960s, dies at the age of 97.
Steve Clarke is appointed as the new manager of the Scotland men’s football team. The 55-year-old replaces Alex Mcleish.
JUNE
Carers Edward Cairney and
Avril Jones are convicted at the High Court in Glasgow of murdering Margaret Fleming, a vulnerable teenager who was last seen alive in 1999. The 19-year-old’s body has never been found.
Former SNP MP Natalie Mcgarry is jailed for 18 months after embezzling more than £25,000 from proindependence groups, money she used on rent and a holiday to Spain with her husband
Ten candidates secure nominations to enter the first round of voting in the Tory leadership race, before just Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt remain.
The heavily indebted Glasgow Prestwick Airport is put up for sale by the Scottish Government. It later emerges the hub has received more than £9m from the US Defence Department since 2017 to refuel US armed forces aircraft.
Donald Trump praises the “eternal friendship” between the UK and the US during a state banquet at Buckingham Palace, part of a three-day state visit by the US president.
Extinction Rebellion Scotland protestors bring traffic in Edinburgh’s west end to a standstill after forming a human barricade.
Sir Richard Branson’s plans to open a Virgin Hotel in Edinburgh are delayed after it emerges the site is home to a 10th century treasure trove.
More than 70 survivors of abuse in care who are elderly or terminally ill are each awarded £10,000 in compensation by the Scottish Government, after years of campaigning by survivors of child abuse.
Charities warn that thousands of Scotland’s poorest people could be forced to give up their TVS following the BBC’S decision to means test licences for the over-75s.
The Queen tells MSPS it has been a pleasure to watch Scotland “grow and prosper,” as part of celebrations marking 20 years of the Scottish Parliament.
Hundreds of veterans gather in France as part of commemorations marking the 75th anniversary of D-day.
Tensions escalate between the US and Iran in the wake of an attack of two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.
The Italian film director Franco Zeffirelli, a two-time Oscar nominee, dies at the age of 96.
Scotland’s women’s football team is narrowly edged out 2-1 by England in Nice at the Women’s World Cup. The US go on to win the tournament.
Don’t miss Part 3 in Monday’s Scotsman