Scotland's papers: Sturgeon's indyref2 vow and Stewart makes history
- Published
The Sunday Mail features a beaming Nicola Sturgeon on its front page above the headline "Our future in our hands". After her Holyrood election triumph the paper reports the first minister has urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson not to ignore "the will of Scotland".
The Sunday National says the election result has delivered a "big pro-indy majority" after the SNP won 64 seats and the Greens secured eight. The paper reports the poll has now given the SNP a mandate to push for a second independence referendum.
The Scottish Sun reports the overall share of the vote shows Scotland "split down the middle between pro-independence and pro-Union parties". The paper reports that Nicola Sturgeon will push for an independence referendum despite falling short of the 65-seat threshold for an outright win.
The Herald on Sunday reports that Nicola Sturgeon said there was no democratic justification for the prime minister, or anyone else, to attempt to block a second independence referendum. Ms Sturgeon said her priority was the pandemic but she still intended to hold an independence referendum once the crisis has passed.
The Sunday Post features the SNP's Kaukab Stewart on its front page after she became the first woman of colour to be elected to the Scottish Parliament in its 22-year history. She was later joined by Pam Gosal who is now a Conservative MSP for the West of Scotland region.
Scotland on Sunday features a picture of Nicola Sturgeon and Kaukab Stewart enjoying a celebratory elbow bump after the SNP's "historic victory". The party finished on 64 seats - one short of a majority but one more than it won in 2016.
The Scottish Mail on Sunday reports Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a "passionate rallying cry for the Union" after the SNP's election triumph. The paper says Mr Johnson has called for a "Team UK" as he announced a summit of all four nations to discuss the "shared challenges" of recovering from the devastation of the Covid pandemic.
The Scottish Daily Express reports the Conservatives denied the SNP a majority after holding on to two key marginal seats, including Aberdeenshire West. The paper's front page also features the logo of its "Unite the Kingdom" campaign.
The Sunday Telegraph leads with the results in Scotland and the fallout from Labour's by-election defeat in Hartlepool. The paper reports that Labour looks set "to descend in to civil war" after deputy leader Angela Rayner was sacked as chair of the party. Meanwhile, Boris Johnson is due to announce that from next week hugging friends and relatives will be allowed under Covid rules.
As well as its election coverage, the Sunday Times carries an investigation into Prince Michael of Kent who has been accused of selling privileged access to Vladimir Putin's regime to business clients. The senior member of the Royal Family issued a statement denying he had a special relationship with the Russian leader, adding that the pair had not been in contact since 2003.