TODAY’S WEATHER

☁️ We’ve had a reprieve from previous forecasts of rain today, it seems: we are now due a dry, mild but overcast day for Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen. London will be much the same. (Here’s the UK forecast).

THE BIG STORIES
Cabinet warned of another summer of riots | NHS managers accused over emails | Rape case fears

📣 Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his deputy Angela Rayner have warned cabinet colleagues that Britain will face a repeat of last year’s summer of riots unless “the government shows it can address people’s concerns”. Alarm has been mounting within the government at the potential for a violent backlash against cost of living struggles, static or falling quality of life, and high migration in some areas.

• “In a dramatic intervention in the final cabinet meeting before the summer recess, the deputy prime minister said economic insecurity, immigration, the increasing time people spend online, and declining trust in institutions were having a “profound impact on society”. (Independent)

• “The prime minister told the cabinet it was vital to repair Britain’s ‘social fabric’ and improve integration in areas that have experienced high levels of migration.” (The Times £)

• Violent protests in Epping have sparked the latest concerns about more widespread violence. The disorder followed the arrest and charge of an asylum seeker last week on suspicion of alleged sexual assaults in the town. (BBC)

📣 Sandie Peggie’s legal team has accused a group of senior doctors at NHS Fife of defying a legal order in a bid to conceal alleged wrongdoing.

The claim was made yesterday at the employment tribunal in Dundee brought by the nurse. Naomi Cunningham KC claimed Dr Kate Searle, who supervised Dr Beth Upton, failed to hand over a “seriously embarrassing” email which appeared to show an attempt to “set up and coordinate a group” of witnesses in the investigation into complaints made against the veteran nurse by her colleagues. (Herald)

Dr Searle said: "I can appreciate that in hindsight we should not have written these things in a group email to witnesses." (The Scotsman)

📣 The interpretation of rape laws in Scotland means some men could be denied a fair hearing at trial, putting Scotland at risk of breaching the European Convention on Human Rights, according to two organisations representing lawyers.

The concerns are raised in a joint submission by the Faculty of Advocates and the Law Society of Scotland to the Supreme Court, and relate to what evidence is allowed to be heard in open court. One lawyer told The Herald of cases in which victims had told lies, yet the defence had been stopped from putting that situation to the jury.

"How can it be said that someone has had a fair trial when it's been proved that the complainer lied about something important in the course of the inquiry and that was not allowed to be introduced as evidence?", defence advocate Thomas Leonard Ross KC said to The Herald. (The Herald has the exclusive)

IDEAS
Why being boring may be a recipe for success

🗣️ The contrasting fortunes of two hospitality businesses show both how difficult it can be to get a formula right in this most demanding part of the economy, the impact of getting it wrong, and - perhaps - the benefits of being boring.

Let’s start with the bad news: Brewdog, the Scottish-based brewer and pub chain, is having to make big cuts to the pub chain bit of its business. Brewdog is, of course, anything but boring - from its publicity stunts to the sometimes controversial way it financed itself. And yet the pub trade is, of course, a brutally tough world. It appears Brewdog’s distinctive branding and range of brews isn’t enough to insulate it from the harsh realities of rising costs (the Telegraph is quick to point at Rachel Reeves), increased regulation and economic pressures.

The number of jobs losses isn’t yet clear, but 10 bars will close. It’ll be left with 49 bars in the UK, and more than 100 globally.

The Morning Advertiser reports that Brewdog will focus on two types of pub now: “high-impact immersive venues” (vast, flashy places in busy places) and, by contrast, community bars that form deep connections with locals.

Both those formats, enthusiasts might note, are careful not to compete with the behemoth that is Wetherspoons: the low-cost chain of (often) vast pubs in converted buildings, spectacular settings for what is a low-frills drink and meal. Even if its recent results have been dented by the same headwinds troubling Brewdog, it’s successful.

Which brings us to the success story of our hospitality duo today: the Premier Inn chain of hotels. As it happens, today’s edition comes from one of their rooms. A little like Wetherspoons, it’s in a converted building (an old office block), and is decidedly frill-free. But, before I arrive, I know exactly what I’m going to get: it’s very consistent wherever you go in its 850-strong chain.

Those strengths of “low prices and relentless consistency” are picked up by John Gapper in the Financial Times. “While global chains such as Hyatt and Marriott often franchise their brands to other operators, Premier Inn controls everything from room insulation to Silentnight beds,” he writes.

In other words, they don’t let third parties come in and mess things up.

But Gapper points out that Premier Inn’s approach is unfashionable among city types (who, I’d guess, might not use the hotels regularly). They prefer chains which don’t own their properties, and leave the difficult work of managing to someone else.

He suggests the chain might want to “loosen up” to find new ways to expand internationally more quickly, perhaps through franchising or partnerships. Those City voices concur.

I hope the spreadsheet sirens are ignored, though. In tough times for consumers, good value and relentless focus on doing simple things well - rather than flashy gimmicks and slick marketing - seems to be a winning formula. Even the City may, eventually, be persuaded of the merits of being boring if the profits roll in.

AROUND SCOTLAND

📣 Protesters have been urged to keep things “peaceful” during Donald Trump’s visit to Scotland. (STV)

• Up to 6,000 officers will be involved in the vast security operation around the US president. (Mail)

📣 Flash flooding and torrential downpours brought chaos to roads and railways after more than two weeks’ worth of rain fell overnight yesterday. (Mail)

📣 The mystery of a shipwreck uncovered by storms last year on a beach on Sanday, the largest of Orkney's North Isles, has been solved. Evidence suggests the uncovered timbers are the wreck of the Earl of Chatham, a former Royal Navy vessel called HMS Hind, which sank in 1788. (Herald)

AROUND THE UK & WORLD

📣 The United Nations says Israel, since May, has killed more than 1,000 people who were trying to get food at aid sites in Gaza. (AP)

• A group of journalists at the AFP news agency has warned their local colleagues in Gaza are at risk of dying from conditions in the enclave, with some too weak from hunger and disease to work. (AP)

📣 A row over the Jeffrey Epstein investigation has prompted Republican leaders to bring the US House of Representatives to an early summer standstill, putting off any releases of more information on the disgraced financier and sex offender until September. (WSJ)

📣 India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, arrives in London today for a state visit, during which he’ll sign a landmark free trade agreement between his country and the UK. (Guardian)

📣 The former general secretary of the Unite union, Len McCluskey, enjoyed private jet flights and football tickets arranged by the firm building a multi-million pound hotel for the union, according to an internal report. He denies the claims. (BBC)

📣 The rock world is mourning the death of Ozzy Osbourne, the self-styled “Prince of Darkness” who was one of the most iconic rock frontmen of all time, and latterly a much-loved reality TV star. (Guardian)

“The bat-beheading Brummie boozehound who dined with Presidents and played for The Queen” (Mail)

SPORT

⚽️ Two stunning goals from youngster Findlay Curtis and debutant Djeidi Gassama gave Rangers a Champions League qualifying round first-leg victory over Panathinaikos. It was manager Russell Martin’s first game in charge: “We're very much a work in progress, but for a start, it was really good,” he said. (BBC) (Daily Record)

⚽️ England’s women fought back against Italy to win a dramatic semi-final at the European Championships. “Chloe Kelly may have scored the winner, poking in the rebound from her saved penalty deep into extra time,” writes Suzanne Wrack, “but it was Michelle Agyemang – whose surname translates literally as ‘saviour of a nation’ – who stepped up when it mattered most.” (Guardian)

⚽️ Celtic are mourning the loss of a Lisbon Lion: John Fallon, substitute goalkeeper on that famous night in Lisbon, has died aged 84. He joined Celtic in 1958 and appeared almost 200 times for the club over a 14-year period. (The Sun)

📣 Scottish cyclist Oscar Onley remains on track to secure the best-ever finish by a Scot in the Tour de France. He managed a credible 14th on the barren slopes of Ventoux yesterday, maintaining his fourth position in the tour. No Scot has ever managed a top-three finish… (The Sun)