The Scotsman

Expanding the M8 to three lanes ‘can drive recovery’

●Huge transport investment at heart of Conservati­ves’ vision for Scotland

- By SCOTT MACNAB Political Editor

A three-lane M8 motorway between Edinburgh and Glasgow and seamless“smart card” travel across Scotland are at the heart of a new economic package unveiled by Scottish Conservati­ves leader Douglas Ross.

The MP for Moray has warned that Scotland’s economy needs to be “rebuilt from the brink” after GDP shrunk by a fifth as the impact of the pandemic on growth starts to bite.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will tomorrow announce the S cottish Government’s legislativ­e agenda for the rest of the parliament­ary session this week and said over the weekend that the priorit y will remain tack - ling the pandemic and the economic recover y. In his first major policy

homes of any second wave of Covid”.

She also accused the government of a lack of planning, with more students expected on campuses following the admissions fiasco as data emerges that infection rates are increasing among younger people.

“So the very people who are increasing­ly getting infected by this virus are being encouraged in mass numbers to move all around the country and congregate and live togeth - er,” Ms Grady said. “It doesn’t make sense.”

The UCU wants students to avoid campuses until Christmas unless a testing scheme begins operating at universiti­es.

It comes after a group of scientists recommende­d universiti­es test all students and staff for coronaviru­s as they arrive on campus and avoid face-to-face teaching.

Independen­t Sage reported on 21 August that all courses should be offered online – apart from those which are lab or practice-based – as in-person teaching carries a higher risk of virus transmissi­on.

The group also recommende­d that socialisin­g among students should be restricted to “residentia­l bubbles” in the first few weeks to prevent infection.

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