TODAY’S WEATHER

☀️ It’s going to be a bright, warm day for much of Scotland, with Glasgow only clouding over a little later. Fewer concerns in Edinburgh, where it’ll hit 20 degrees, or Aberdeen where it’ll peak at 18 degrees. London will reach 25 degrees. (Here’s the UK forecast).

THE BIG STORIES
Tories attack Scottish fund’s “paltry” return | Post Office report due today | Fans get a drink at the game

📣 Scotland’s £500 million Just Transition Fund has been criticised for showing a “paltry” return on investment, amid opposition claims the Scottish Government has taken a “wrecking ball” to the North Sea oil and gas industry.

The fund is only two years old, and the independent report says some of its work will take time to deliver results. But the Scottish Conservatives are pointing to the fact it has spent £43 million and created or secured only 230 jobs in that time. (Scotsman)

• The report itself says the fund is doing well, having “provided the foundations for economic and environmental change” and “demonstrated its value as an enabler of regional transformation.” (Read the report)

📣 The inquiry into the Post Office IT scandal will produce its first report today, offering a milestone on the path to justice for thousands of sub-postmasters who were wrongly blamed for financial losses caused by a faulty Fujitsu computer system. (BBC)

📣 Finally, Scottish football fans will be able to buy a drink at the ground. But… it’s a trial, only 66 fans are taking part, and if you don’t like Birra Moretti (or Ayr United) you’re stuck. (Scotsman)

IDEAS
Greetings from Spain, Europe’s economic powerhouse (despite its politicians)

🗣️ A confession: normally, The Early Line is proud to say it is written daily in Edinburgh. But at the moment, it’s coming to you from Spain. It’s time for a break: sunshine, reading and terrific food. The only downside is that, early in the morning, it’s pitch black here, unlike the 5am light 1200 miles north.

To survey Spain at the moment is also to be reminded that the foreign news pages can give a lop-sided view of how things are. Spain’s protests over tourism and that vast power cut in April painted a picture of a nation ill at ease with itself, and falling apart. But housing shortages caused by tourism is familiar to Scotland, too. And that power cut wasn’t a “net zero blackout,” as some have claimed; it was a planning error.

The country’s near-epic political corruption is, however, structural, unique, and noteworthy: a source of deep disillusionment among voters here and faint amazement overseas.

Keen students will recall that Mariano Rajoy, the conservative Prime Minister regarded as a great survivor of Spanish politics and all the problems the country faced during the financial crisis, was unseated by a corruption scandal in 2018.

The man who took his job, socialist Pedro Sanchez, vowed to clean things up. But, yes, he is now facing… his own corruption scandal, as former right-hand man Santos Cerdán was held in custody over suspicions he took vast bribes on public construction projects. Sanchez had to offer a grovelling and nationally-televised apology last month to save his political skin, saying he should “never have trusted” Cerdán.

Another top-ranking socialist official, José Luis Ábalos, a former transport minister, faces trial on charges of racketeering in a scandal involving face masks, and was also caught in a recording discussing the merits of various prostitutes with Cerdán.

In one to file under “surprised-they-needed-to-be-told”, the Socialist Party has now banned its members from hiring sex workers.

The Sunday Times reported at the weekend (£) that Miriam González, known in the UK as wife of former deputy Prime Minister Sir Nick Clegg, is leading a campaign to clean up Spanish politics with - among other things - a system to avoid abuses of power and conflicts of interest similar to that in the UK.

Despite all this, though, Spain is doing pretty well. The economy is motoring along. Take Catalonia, much watched in Scotland as separatist leaders attempted to leave Spain in 2017 through an unconstitutional referendum and a unilateral declaration of independence.

Catalonia, and the rest of Spain, is moving on. Pardons for nine leaders jailed in that crisis was followed up, late last month, by a court agreeing to a controversial amnesty law. According to The Economist, its passing will continue the process of “normalisation” of the region; political stability which has brought with it an economic boom that’s filled hotels, brought back the bustle, encouraged businesses to return back to the area and seen no fewer than 50 Michelin-starred restaurants spring up. Support for independence has collapsed from that 2017 high.

The story of growth is repeated across Spain, which last year enjoyed growth almost four times grater than the average Eurozone economy, driven by cheap (renewable) energy and immigration (£).

It’s easy to draw an immediate contrast with home as you arrive into Alicante’s vast modern airport, and drive your hire car down perfectly smooth (if toll-funded) motorways (Spain has more motorway, per head of population, than anywhere in Europe £).

The Spanish economy grew by 3.2% last year, its largest companies are thriving, and - far from the impression given by coverage of protests against tourism here - the country draws 20% of its income from visitors. “It’s our oil,” José García Cantera, the chief financial officer of Santander, joked to The Economist (£).

Morals of the story? First, that you can believe the headlines… but know there may be more going on. And, second, that sometimes countries can thrive despite their politicians. Oh - and third - it turns out the UK’s corruption controls may have export potential.

AROUND SCOTLAND

📣 The SNP’s former Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, says the Chancellor’s fate will be determined by the bond markets, and writes that what’s needed is “a material programme to drive up growth and investment”. He calls on the SNP to “seize the opportunity to paint a landscape showing how things could be different in Scotland.” (Herald)

📣 A married paramedic who secretly injected his lover with drugs to abort their child has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison. (Mail)

• The paramedic had previously featured in a documentary about paramedics. (Mail)

📣 Edinburgh Airport has lifted the 100ml rule for liquids going through security - which could finally mean the end of those hopeless travel miniatures for your toiletries. But you’ll still need to check on the situation for your return journey: your departure airport coming home may not have changed its rules yet. (Scotsman)

AROUND THE UK

📣 French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in London today for a three-day state visit. But amid the pomp and ceremony, there are deep concerns that a much-vaulted deal between the UK and France to return illegal immigrants is in danger of collapsing. (Independent)

📣 Police and prison services have “ceded the airspace” above top security prisons in England, according to the prisons watchdog, allowing drones to smuggle in drugs and weapons. (Sky News)

AROUND THE WORLD

🌎 The death toll from the floods in Texas has now topped 100, with 27 children and staff at Camp Mystic confirmed to be among them. More heavy rain is on the way to the area. (Guardian)

• The furious debate about whether DOGE cuts contributed to the tragedy continues to rage, with former federal officials and outside experts saying they warned for months that Trump’s deep staffing cuts to the National Weather Service could endanger lives. (AP)

🌎 If you want to know what deadly Beef Wellington looks like, it’s covered. (Guardian)

• There’s also detail on how death caused by poisonous mushrooms really isn’t very pleasant at all. (Guardian)

🌎 In a series of social media posts, Trump set a 25% tax on goods imported from Japan and South Korea, as well as new tariff rates on a dozen other nations that would go into effect on August 1. (BBC) (AP)

• Israel's prime minister has nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize. Benjamin Netanyahu announced the move at a White House dinner, handing over the letter for the US president to read. (Sky News)

SPORT

🎾 Seven-times Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic malfunctioned in his game against Alex de Minaur in SW19, losing the first set in half an hour, before recovering to battle through to the quarter-finals. (BBC) (Guardian)

• Mirra Andreeva forgot the score, not realising she had beaten Emma Navarro to reach the quarter-finals of Wimbledon for the first time until after it had happened. (BBC)

• World men’s number one Jannik Sinner was more fortunate: he was two sets down in his game against Grigor Dimitrov, before the Bulgarian went down with a muscle strain, and was forced to retire. (BBC) (Guardian)

⚽️ Celtic are on the hunt for strikers: Napoli’s Italy Under-21 cap Giuseppe Ambrosino could arrive on loan, while a permanent £1.5 million deal for Kawasaki Frontale striker Shin Yamada has moved closer. (Sun)

• Keith Jackson doesn’t think Ambrosino is quite the “box-office number nine” Celtic are after. (Record)

⚽️ The revolving door at Ibrox is likely to see another defender spin in, while a couple of current defenders fetch their coats. (Record)