The Court of Session has released Stonewall's submission on the gender law judicial review to the media. Here it is.

NEW Deaths in Scotland were 10 per cent higher than average in the third quarter of 2022 according to @NatRecordsScot, that’s 1,376 more deaths than might have been expected. Deaths from cancer, heart disease, dementia, respiratory diseases and cerebrovascular disease all rose. There were 14,925 deaths between July and September including 4,091 from cancer (+1.5%); 1,643 from coronary heart disease (+8.2%); 1,414 from dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (+3.6%); 1,350 from respiratory diseases (+3.1%); and 890 deaths from cerebrovascular disease (+1.9%).

MINI THREAD Opinion seems to have shifted again on Scottish independence, with four polls in a row now suggesting a majority of voters in favour of Scotland leaving the UK. It follows the UK Supreme Court ruling against Holyrood holding a referendum without Westminster’s assent. Polling expert Professor Sir John Curtice of Strathclyde University told the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland “The message to the unionist side is that simply saying no to a referendum doesn’t necessarily constitute an effective strategy for maintaining support for the union.”

THREAD In a week when Brexit, Covid and inflation have all topped the agenda, how are firms and workers doing? We’ve been travelling around Scotland and found many in turmoil, struggling with shortages of labour and goods. bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotla… Take Robin Traquair’s farm near Dalkeith in Midlothian. The pigs eat wheat and barley which have risen in price. Plus there is a shortage of abattoir staff, which means animals staying in their pens for longer. It’s a double whammy. Brexit is part of the problem says the farmer.

THREAD Distillers of single malt whisky in Scotland have expressed dismay at an American decision to continue a 25% tariff on the spirit, imposed last October in a long-running row between Europe and the US about subsidies for aircraft manufacturers Airbus (EU) and Boeing (US). "It's deeply disappointing" and is "inflicting huge damage" says Karen Betts of the Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) about the tariff, adding that exports had fallen by 30% and industry losses had reached £300m ($391m) since it came into effect.

BREAKING Scotland has made enough "clear and substantial" progress to move into the second phase of easing lockdown says First Minister @NicolaSturgeon. @NicolaSturgeon First Minister @NicolaSturgeon: "Though we are moving to phase two today, we are still being cautious and we are not going to do everything at once."

"The lockdown in Scotland remains in place," says Scotland's First Minister @NicolaSturgeon, adding 'We must be very cautious and very careful." Behind her, in large letters, the message remains: STAY AT HOME. Ms Sturgeon announces that people in Scotland can now exercise more than once per day unless you or a member of your household has symptoms, or you are in the vulnerable group which has been asked to shield.

As Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon lays out a potential strategy to exit lockdown she says falls in Covid hospital admissions and numbers of patients in intensive care are "very encouraging" and grounds for "real optimism. "The science will never be exact" and "we are in uncharted territory" so we must be prepared to "adapt and change course as we go" says Ms Sturgeon promising to be "frank" with the public "every step of the way."

At a virtual session of First Minister’s Questions Nicola Sturgeon has outlined plans to ensure food is delivered to the most vulnerable people in Scotland. Ms Sturgeon said there were 136,000 people in Scotland who must be “shielded” because of compromised immune systems, down from an original estimate of 200,000.

BREAKING There were 354 deaths registered in Scotland with COVID-19 mentioned on the death certificate between 16th March and 5th April, according to new statistical analysis which has just been released. The new data are being published by National Records of Scotland (NRS). They show...

10 deaths registered from 16th - 22nd March
62 deaths from 23rd - 29th March
282 deaths from 30th March - 5th April

THREAD The scale of the crisis we all now face is almost unimaginable. The scientists tell us that tens of thousands of us, perhaps even hundreds of thousands, may die. The economy will be shattered. And all this could last 18 months, they say. #coronavirus #covid19 #covid19UK The freedoms we cherished without a care — the hugs and caresses and whispers — are in peril. We didn’t even know they were freedoms. Our children are to live without schools. Our luxuries are slipping away: a pint with our friends, a birthday meal, a week in Spain in the summer.

THREAD I have been wading through the full judgment from Scotland's highest civil court, the Court of Session, on the prorogation of parliament this evening (with assistance, as you can see). Here are some points I think are interesting. #Prorogation #TheNine First, what is this all about? A group of parliamentarians led by @joannaccherry of the SNP wanted to stop the prorogation (suspension) of parliament, which has now taken effect, arguing that it was unlawfully designed to stymie parliamentary debate on Brexit.