TODAY’S WEATHER

☁️ A bright, dry day for all, although rain will arrive much later in Glasgow, spreading in the wee hours of tomorrow into Edinburgh. No such concerns for Aberdeen and. London, both of which will stay dry. (Here’s the UK forecast).

THE BIG STORIES
Starmer to place UK on war footing | Drone attack is “Russia’s Pearl Harbour” | Scots Tories ready for deals?

📣 Britain needs to be ready to fight a war in Europe or the Atlantic, the long-awaited strategic defence review will conclude today.

• Sir Keir Starmer will announce plans to build up to 12 nuclear-powered attack submarines, as he puts the armed forces “on a war footing”. (The Times £)

• It’ll also spend £15 billion on new warheads for the UK’s nuclear deterrent, in what will be a “radical blueprint” that will support tens of thousands of highly-skilled jobs, according to the Government. (The Independent)

• However, in an apparent contradiction, the Guardian claims the review is not expected to contain any additional spending commitments. (Guardian)

• The Telegraph says Starmer’s defence strategy is “in disarray” after defence secretary John Healey said yesterday a 3%-of-GDP goal for military spending was, in fact, an “ambition” rather than a “target”. (🎁Telegraph - gift token)

• The SNP is being accused of playing “student politics” over defence funding (The Scotsman)

📣 It’s an attack that’s been dubbed “Russia’s Pearl Harbour” by military bloggers: Ukraine’s massive drone strike on parked Russian long-range bombers is also being seen as offering a glimpse into the future of war, where unmanned drones can strike deep into enemy territory.

A total of 117 smuggled Ukrainian drones destroyed more than 40 Russian planes, Ukraine claimed, in an operation run out of an office next to a local office of Russia’s intelligence and security service, the FSB. (AP) (BBC)

• How Zelensky’s men plotted “Operation Spider’s Web” and blew a $7 billion hole in Putin’s “irreplaceable” nuclear bomber fleet. (Mail)

• Separately, Russia said “explosions” caused two train bridges to collapse, causing trains to derail and killing at least seven. (Guardian)

📣 Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay says he’d “never, ever, work with the SNP”, but has refused to rule out deals with other parties after next year’s election. His main aim was to “get the SNP out of power,” he said. (Holyrood has the exclusive)

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IDEAS
Five things we learned over the weekend

🗣️ Voters in the South Lanarkshire constituency of Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse head to the polls this week to elect a new MSP. Their decision will set the political temperature for the long run-up to next year’s Scottish parliamentary elections.

And, as David Bol notes in The Scotsman, it’s far from the first time the constituency has found itself at the “epicentre of Scottish politics,” with a history of landmark results which stretch back to 1967, and Winnie Ewing’s win for the SNP.

Could success for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK - and “success” could equate to only coming second, pushing Labour into third - herald another big shift in Scottish politics? David’s piece is an excellent on-the-ground primer to what’s likely to happen in the seat, and the possible fallout. (Scotsman)

🗣️The votes haven’t been cast yet, but already Reform’s rise is being post-mortemed. In the Herald, Dani Garavelli becomes the latest to use the s-word - “scunnered” - to describe voters’ despair, in an essay which is laced with its own despair at the consequences.

Garavelli is critical of a Labour Party that’s managed to field a candidate who “seems to wish he was anywhere but a parliamentary election,” refusing to appear at a hustings and an STV debate. And she worries that devolution itself is at risk. “Sure, we should be pushing Scottish politicians to raise their game; but if we were to allow devolution to slip from our grasp, it would be difficult to reclaim it.”

🗣️As Rangers move into new ownership and - fans hope - a brighter future, after years of turmoil - the Herald asks: whatever happened about those malicious prosecutions in the failed Rangers fraud case of almost a decade ago?

Martin Williams writes: “There are concerns that no actions have been taken to formally investigate criminal complaints arising from the conduct of the police investigation the first of which were understood to have been lodged nine years ago.”

Or, as the former Rangers finance chief Imran Ahmad puts it: “The cover up is on”, with no criminal probe or public inquiry into the affair, despite the tens of millions it has cost the public purse. It’s a murky business. (The Herald)

🗣️The great Scottish tea swindle “is more than just a storm in a teacup,” says Gillian Bowditch.

We could be forgiven “a small chortle” at the conviction for fraud of Thomas Robinson, whose “authentically Scottish” tea turned out to be anything but. But, for thousands of Scottish SMEs toiling in more legitimate ways, it’s all very frustrating.

Bowditch points the finger at the Scottish Enterprise quango. “There are some stars toiling at Scottish Enterprise and its Highland and Islands equivalent, but the organisation is bloated and full of individuals who could not run a bath, never mind a company,” she writes.

“Meanwhile, the SMEs with ambitions to grow and drive development are becoming increasingly disillusioned by economic policies being pursued north and south of the border.” (Sunday Times £)

🗣️There are worries about Britain’s relationship with its dogs. They might be the loves of many Britons’ lives, and be treated to spa days, doggy ice-cream and other treats, but it’s not necessarily making them any healthier, physically or mentally, worries Martha Gill. (The Observer)

AROUND SCOTLAND

📣 Two Scots were shot dead in Spain on Saturday evening in an apparent overseas escalation of the gangland war that has gripped parts of central Scotland for months. The Sun is calling it “Gangsters’ world war”. (The Sun)

📣 A man has been arrested in connection with the rape of a 15-year-old girl in Edinburgh city centre last week. (STV)

📣 Support for Scottish independence has hit 54%, an eight-point lead over “no”, and that lead would double if Nigel Farage became Prime Minister. (Sunday Times £) (STV)

AROUND THE WORLD

🌎 At least 31 people were killed, and more than 170 injured, as large crowds attempted to collect food in the Gaza Strip. Witnesses said Israeli forces fired into the crowds near an aid site. But Israel’s forces denied firing at civilians. (AP)

🌎 Six people were injured when a man with a makeshift flamethrower, shouting “Free Palestine”, attacked demonstrators in Colorado who had gathered to draw attention to Israeli hostages in Gaza. (AP) (🎥Eyewitness video, BBC)

🌎 A Eurosceptic nationalist backed by Donald Trump was elected Poland’s president overnight, in a tight vote. Karol Nawrocki, who ran on the promise of policies to favour Poles over other nationalities, won 50.89% of the vote, ahead of liberal centrist Rafal Trzaskowski. (Independent)

SPORT

⚽️ Rangers were finally bought by the owners of the San Francisco 49ers on Friday, in a long-awaited transaction, and they’ve wasted no time in making their mark at Ibrox. Technical director Nils Kopek has departed, while Dan Purdy - who worked alongside new sporting director Kevin Thelwell - is expected to come in to oversee transfers. (Herald)

• Keith Jackson broke the story of the 49ers interest: he says the deal draws a line under “a dark chapter” for the club. (Daily Record)

🏉 Edinburgh’s season ended “in a mixture of frustration and pride in Pretoria” as the Bulls beat them 42-33. (Offside Line)

🏉 But Glasgow booked their semi-final place with a 36-18 win over the Stormers at Scotstoun. (Offside Line)

🏎️ Formula 1 fans will be picking the bones out of yesterday’s Spanish GP for a good few days. Did Max Verstappen really drive into George Russell on purpose? (Sky Sports)