The Herald:

Hello and welcome to The Midge, the e-bulletin that takes a bite out of politics in Scotland and elsewhere. 

Today

  • Labour and SNP at war over tax 
  • 2000 Edinburgh pupils back in class, 5000 off for third day 
  • Hospital staff undergo training after gift 
  • Relationship between Minister (above) and escort revealed
  • Police raid Mossack Fonseca office in Panama

06.00 BBC Today headlines

Downing Street defends Culture Secretary … Quarter of new EU migrants to UK from southern Europe … Police raid Panama law firm … UK ticket holder wins £51.8m on Euro lottery.

07.00 BBC Good Morning Scotland headlines

2000 pupils return to class ... Whittingdale (above) denies story influenced decisions ... Scottish Tories launch manifesto ... High tech search for Nessie begins 

Front pages

The Herald:

Exclusive: In The Herald, Health Correspondent Helen Puttick says alleged incidents at a unit in St John’s Hospital in Livingstone have led to staff being retrained in health service “values”. Political Editor Magnus Gardham reports on a think tank’s laying bare of the gulf between the SNP and Labour on tax. 

The Times and the Mail also run on the tax story, with the Mail saying the Institute for Public Policy Research report shows Scotland’s highest earners will be left £600 a year worse off than their counterparts in England.

The Telegraph says Scots Tory leader Ruth Davidson will today promise to scrap the Scottish Government’s Named Persons Scheme. 

The FT reports on a hike in the oil price to its highest level this year, leading traders to call an end to the slump. 

The National says half of Scotland’s universities are employing more staff on zero hours contracts, despite promises. 

The Evening Times has the story of two stabbing victims who want to move away from the area they were attacked but cannot due to rent arrears. 

The Record, Express and Sun report on the death of record producer David Gest in a London hotel. 

Camley’s cartoon

The Herald:

Pay attention at the back to Camley’s lesson on public private partnerships.

Need to know: or not

Not in the public interest. This was the category into which four newspapers filed the story of Culture, Media and Sport Secretary John Whittingdale and his relationship with an escort between August 2013 and February 2014. Read the story here. 

The MP for Maldon says he met the woman through a dating site, did not know she was an escort, and ended the relationship when he found out. The Sun, Mail on Sunday, Sunday People and Independent knew the story, but, as revealed on BBC Newsnight last night, did not publish it. 

Mr Whittingdale, a Vote Leave supporter, says the events occurred before he became Culture Secretary in May, 2015. "This is an old story which was a bit embarrassing at the time. The events occurred long before I took up my present position and it has never had any influence on the decisions I have made as culture secretary.” But before becoming Culture Secretary, he was chair of the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee. 

Downing Street is standing by their minister, saying the father of two is "a single man entitled to a private life”. Labour has called for Mr Whittingdale to give up responsibility for press regulation but stopped short of calling for his resignation. Former Labour shadow cabinet minister Chris Bryant says: "It seems the press were quite deliberately holding a sword of Damocles over John Whittingdale. He has a perfect right to a private life but as soon as he knew this he should have withdrawn from all regulation of the press.”

Afore ye go

The Herald:

“If you laugh at them when they're goose-stepping down the street, then it takes away their power. So I am suggesting that the Senate send in Amy Schumer and Chris Rock and Sacha Baron Cohen, thank you.”

Bono, appearing before a Senate committee in Washington DC, with former Labour MP Douglas Alexander assisting, suggests a novel approach to combating extremism. The U2 frontman also called for a Marshall Plan for the Middle East, saying aid “could just be the best bulwark we have against the extremism of our age”.

The Herald:

Nicola Sturgeon talking defence policy, or maybe not, with Gary, Tank Commander. Twitter

The Herald:

"A Brexit could do severe regional and global damage by disrupting established trading relationships.”

The IMF in the foreword to its World Economic Outlook in which it downgraded its forecast for UK economic growth this year. IMF chief Christine Lagarde, above. 

The Herald:

"The IMF has been hijacked by the architects of the failing EU project, so of course they want the UK to remain.”

UKIP’s Nigel Farage. Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images

The Herald:

"I'm puzzled why from John Humphrys to John Craven (above) they continue at the BBC to use the term Islamic State. There's nothing Islamic and there's nothing state about it. I don't know what more we need to do, perhaps write to Points Of View.”

Foreign Office minister Tobias Ellwood, Commons. Fergus McDonald/Getty Images

The Herald:

“Warner Bros is reportedly working on a new Speedy Gonzales movie. After hearing about it, Mickey Mouse said, ‘Wow, they ARE taking our jobs’.”

Conan O’Brien. Alberto E Rodriguez/Getty Images

The Herald:

“Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka, just gave birth and she's already back on the campaign trail for her dad. Ivanka's friends were like, ‘Shouldn't you be with the baby?’ And Ivanka was like, ‘Yeah, I'm campaigning for him’.”

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Andrew Burton/Getty Images

The Herald:

"The system, folks, is rigged. It’s a rigged, disgusting, dirty system.”

Donald Trump, fresh from his Wisconsin defeat, not being at all baby-ish at a rally in Albany, New York. Eduardo Minoz Alvarez/Getty Images

The Herald: Tommy Sheridan is a rank outsider to win Celebrity Big Brother

“Please God will someone post a *serious* question for Tommy Sheridan here.”

These live Facebook Q&As are not easy you know. Stephen Daisley, Digital Political Editor, STV

The Herald:

“If Mr Dennis Edward Skinner, Labour member for Bolsover, was Sir Dennis Skinner-Edwards, Conservative member for Wiltshire Somewhere, how many of those who guffaw at his antics today would find it amusing to see him yell personal insults around the Commons?”

James Kirkup of the Daily Telegraph offers a different perspective on Mr Skinner’s ‘Dodgy Dave’ jibes. Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

The Herald:

“Last night, an MP who I've only met a couple of times actually said to me as his opening gambit ‘I want to talk to the totty'.’'

Spectator journalist Isabel Hardman, Twitter. She passed his name on to the whips, saying: “I don't betray sources. But I will betray sexists.” An apology was said to be on the way. Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images

Diary

  • Scottish Tories launch manifesto
  • Commons: PMQs

Thank you for reading. See you tomorrow.