2020 in Scotland

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See also:	List of years in Scotland Timeline of Scottish history 2020 in: The UK • England • Wales • Elsewhere Scottish football: 2019–20 • 2020–21 2020 in Scottish television

Events from the year 2020 in Scotland

Incumbents

Further information: Politics of Scotland and Order of precedence in Scotland

• First Minister – Nicola Sturgeon
• Secretary of State for Scotland – Alister Jack

Events

January

• 29 January – MSPs vote 64–54 to back calls for a second Scottish independence referendum. ^[1]

February

• 6 February – Derek Mackay resigns as Finance Secretary hours before delivering his budget following reports that he messaged a sixteen-year-old boy on social media over a period of several months. ^[2]
• 14 February – Jackson Carlaw is elected as leader of the Scottish Conservative Party. ^[3]
• 17 February – Kate Forbes is appointed as Finance Secretary, the first woman to hold the post. ^[4]

March

• 1 March – COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland: Authorities confirm the first case of the global COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland, the index case of coronavirus being a traveller having returned from Italy. ^[5]
• 13 March – COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland: Authorities confirm the first death from COVID-19 in Scotland. ^[6]

April

• 3 April – The results of the 2020 Scottish Labour deputy leadership election are announced, in which Jackie Baillie is elected as the deputy leader of Scottish Labour. ^{[7] [8]}

June

• 21 June – The 'Peebles Hoard', comprising Bronze Age horse harness, a sword in its scabbard and other artefacts including a "rattle pendant", is discovered near Peebles in the Borders by a metal detectorist. ^[9]
• 26 June – Glasgow hotel stabbings. ^[10]

August

• 4 August – The Scottish Qualifications Authority issues moderated grades to school pupils who have not been able to take examinations due to the COVID-19 pandemic; ^[11] on 10 August, Nicola Sturgeon publicly accepts that her government "did not get it right" over this procedure. ^[12]
• 5 August – Following the resignation on 30 July of Jackson Carlaw as leader of the Scottish Conservatives, he is succeeded by Douglas Ross MP. ^[13]
• 11 August – Ruth Davidson is appointed Leader of the Scottish Conservatives in the Scottish Parliament by Douglas Ross, becoming the Leader of the Opposition again. ^[14]
• 12 August – Stonehaven derailment: A passenger train derails after striking a landslip near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, with 3 deaths. ^[15]

October

• 15 October – Kintore railway station reopens. ^[16]

November

• 25 November – Scotland becomes the first country in the world to make it a legal duty for period products to be available to anyone for free after the Period Products (Free Provision) (Scotland) Bill is approved. ^[17]

Deaths

January

• 6 January – Danny Masterton, footballer (Ayr United, Clyde) (born 1954) ^[18]
• 12 January – Jackie Brown, boxer, Commonwealth Games gold medallist (1958), British and Commonwealth flyweight champion (1962–1963) (born 1935) ^[19]
• 15 January – Bobby Brown, Hall of Fame footballer (Rangers, Queen's Park) and manager (national team) (born 1923) ^[20]

February

• 6 February – Jimmy Moran, footballer (Norwich City, Northampton Town, Workington) (born 1935) ^[21]

March

• 9 March – George Strachan, cricketer (national team) (born 1932) ^[22]
• 11 March – Dave Souter, footballer (Clyde, Dundee) (born 1940) ^[23]
• 12 March – Alexander Gordon, 7th Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, peer (born 1955) ^[24]
• 30 March – Alex Forsyth, footballer (Darlington) (born 1928) ^[25]

April

• 5 April – Dougie Morgan, rugby union player (Stewart's Melville, British and Irish Lions, national team) (born 1947) ^[26]
• 14 April – Ron Wylie, footballer and manager (Notts County, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion) (born 1933) ^[27]
• 23 April – John Murphy, footballer (Ayr United) (born 1942) ^[28]

May

• 1 May – Derek Ogg, lawyer (born 1954) ^[29]
• 2 May – John Ogilvie, footballer (Hibernian, Leicester City, Mansfield Town), COVID-19 (born 1928) ^[30]

July

• 9 July – Johnny Beattie, actor ( River City ) and comedian ( Scotch & Wry , Rab C. Nesbitt ) (born 1926) ^[31]
• 13 July – Pat Quinn, footballer (Motherwell, national team) and manager (East Fife) (born 1936) ^[32]
• 15 July – Maurice Roëves, actor ( Oh! What a Lovely War , Escape to Victory , Judge Dredd ) (born 1937) ^[33]
• 17 July – Alex Dawson, footballer (Manchester United, Preston North End, Brighton & Hove Albion) (born 1940) ^[34]
• 21 July – Hugh McLaughlin, footballer (St Mirren, Third Lanark, Queen of the South) (born 1945) ^[35]
• 24 July – David Hagen, footballer (Falkirk, Clyde, Peterhead), motor neuron disease (born 1973) ^[36]

August

• 4 August – Willie Hunter, footballer (Motherwell, national team) and manager (Queen of the South) (born 1940) ^[37]

September

• 7 September – Logie Bruce Lockhart, rugby union player (national team), schoolmaster, writer and journalist (born 1921) ^[38]
• 20 September – Sir Malcolm Innes of Edingight, herald, Lord Lyon King of Arms of Scotland (1981–2001) (born 1938) ^[39]

November

• 22 November – Hamish MacInnes, mountaineer (born 1930) ^[40]

December

• 21 December – Sandy Grant Gordon, whisky distiller (born 1931) ^[41]
• 26 December – Jim McLean, footballer and manager (Dundee United) (born 1937) ^[42]

The Arts

• 11 February – Douglas Stuart's debut novel Shuggie Bain , a story of growing up in 1980s Glasgow, is first published in the United States; it wins this year's Booker Prize. ^[43]
• October – Two of the five winners of the UK 2020 ArtFund Museum of the Year Award are Aberdeen Art Gallery and Gairloch Museum. ^[44]

See also

• 2020 in England
• 2020 in Northern Ireland
• 2020 in Wales

References

1. "Scottish independence: MSPs back new referendum in Holyrood vote". BBC News. BBC. 29 January 2020. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
2. "Derek Mackay: Scottish finance secretary quits over messages to boy". BBC News. BBC. 6 February 2020. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
3. "Scottish Conservatives: Jackson Carlaw succeeds Ruth Davidson as leader". BBC News. BBC. 14 February 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
4. Carrell, Severin (17 February 2020). "Kate Forbes appointed Scotland's first female finance secretary". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
5. "Coronavirus (COVID-19): First positive case in Scotland". Scottish Government. 1 March 2020. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
6. "Coronavirus: Death of first Scottish patient with Covid-19 confirmed". BBC News. BBC. 13 March 2020. Retrieved 13 March 2020.
7. "Jackie Baillie elected Scottish Labour deputy leader". BBC News. 3 April 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
8. Riordan, Conor (3 April 2020). "Scottish Labour names Jackie Baillie as new deputy leader". Daily Record. Retrieved 5 April 2020.
9. "Detectorist 'shaking with happiness' after Bronze Age find". BBC News. 2020-08-10. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
10. "Man shot dead by police after Glasgow stabbings". BBC News. 26 June 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
11. Esson, Graeme (2020-08-04). "Scotland's results 2020: How grades were worked out for Scottish pupils". BBC News. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
12. "Nicola Sturgeon 'sorry' over Scottish exam results". BBC News. 2020-08-10. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
13. "Douglas Ross confirmed as Scottish Conservative leader". BBC News. 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2020-08-10.
14. "Scottish Conservatives appoint Ruth Davidson as Holyrood Leader". The Guardian. 11 August 2020. Retrieved 29 October 2020.
15. "Stonehaven crash: train derailed by landslip, investigators confirm". The Guardian. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
16. "Aberdeenshire railway station reopens 56 years after closure". Evening Express. 15 October 2020. Archived from the original on 17 October 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
17. "Period poverty: Scotland first in world to make period products free". BBC News. 24 November 2020. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
18. "Danny Masterton". Clyde F.C. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2020.
19. McKenzie, James (13 January 2020). "Edinburgh boxing champion Jackie Brown who once shared dressing room with Muhammad Ali, dies aged 84 after dementia battle". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 15 January 2020.
20. "Bobby Brown 1923–2020". Rangers F.C. 15 January 2020. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 17 January 2020.
21. "Norwich City's '59ers' midfielder dies". Eastern Daily Press. Retrieved 12 March 2025.
22. "George Strachan". East League. 12 March 2020.
23. "Souter". Family Announcements. 16 March 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
24. "Aberdeen". The Telegraph Announcements. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
25. "Obituary - Alex Forsyth". East Stirlingshire FC. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
26. "Stewart's Melville, Scotland and Lions great Dougie Morgan passes away". The Offside Line. 5 April 2020.
27. "Members News: Ron Wylie RIP (06/08/1933 -14/04/2020) : Coventry City Former Players Association || CCFPA". www.ccfpa.co.uk. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
28. "Obituary: John 'Spud' Murphy, legendary Ayr United player". www.scotsman.com. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
29. "Tributes paid to top QC found dead at his Glasgow home". BBC News. 2 May 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
30. "Popular Leicester City veteran defender dies after contracting coronavirus". Leicester Mercury. 3 May 2020.
31. "Stage and screen entertainer Johnny Beattie dies aged 93". BBC News. BBC. 9 July 2020.
32. McGilvray, Andy (13 July 2020). "Former Motherwell star Pat Quinn has passed away". Daily Record.
33. "Scottish actor Maurice Roeves dies aged 83". BBC News. BBC. 15 July 2020.
34. "Alex Dawson: Ex-Man Utd, Preston, Bury, Brighton forward dies aged 80". BBC Sport . 17 July 2020.
35. "St Mirren saddened to hear of passing of Hugh McLaughlin". St Mirren Football Club. 27 July 2020.
36. "David Hagen: Ex-Rangers player dies aged 47 after MND battle". BBC Sport. BBC. 25 July 2020. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
37. "Former Portsmouth assistant manager Willie Hunter dies aged 80". Portsmouth News. 4 August 2020.
38. "Logie Bruce-Lockhart obituary". The Times. 19 September 2020.(subscription required)
39. "Sir Malcolm Rognvald Innes of Edingight". The Times. 26 September 2020.(subscription required)
40. McLaughlin, Martyn (25 November 2020). "Hamish MacInnes was a giant among men and mountains". The Scotsman. Retrieved 25 November 2020.
41. "Obituary: Alexander (Sandy) Grant Gordon CBE - The founding father of Single Malt". DRAM Scotland. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
42. "Jim McLean: Dundee Utd announce death of legendary manager aged 83". BBC Sport. 26 December 2020. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
43. Flood, Alison (2020-11-19). "Douglas Stuart wins Booker prize for debut Shuggie Bain". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 2020-11-19.
44. "Meet our winners". Art Fund. 2020. Retrieved 2020-10-13.