The Herald: New BHS store is putting on the style in Swindon

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

Today

  • Staff crisis warning for six rural hospitals
  • 11,000 BHS staff await administration announcement
  • Scottish Labour leader: I won’t quit if we are third
  • Obama increases US troops in Syria by 250
  • Far right score victory in first round of Austria’s elections

06.00 BBC Today headlines

BHS … UK Health Secretary calls on junior doctors to reconsider 48-hour strike … Gove warns of “migration free for all” if UK stays in EU … PKK leader threatens to escalate action in Turkey … Grammy winner Billy Paul, singer of Me and Mrs Jones, dies. 

07.00 BBC Good Morning Scotland headlines

BHS set to be biggest high street collapse since Woolworths ... Nicola Sturgeon to meet Govan shop stewards amid job fears ... Charity warns of 'hidden poverty' ... Austria ... Cruz and Kasich in poll alliance ... RAC calls for campaign against mobile phone use. 

Front pages

The Herald:

Exclusive: In The Herald, health correspondent Helen Puttick reports on a warning from surgeons about the future of hospitals in Wick, Fort William, Oban, the Western Isles, Shetland and Orkney. 

Exclusive: The National has first look at the SNP’s plans for a summer push on independence. 

The Herald: The Evening Times reports on the discovery of two women’s bodies in a flat in Glasgow’s east end. One line of inquiry is that the deaths may be related to carbon monoxide poisoning. 

Up to half of pupils are going on holiday during term time, reports the Mail. 

The Sun says ex-Celtic player Paul McStay is auctioning caps, jersey and a medal to pay the cost of self-publishing his autobiography. 

“So I gather they think it’s game over…” writes Boris Johnson in the Telegraph after Obama’s visit. Not so, says the London mayor. The Times reports Justice Secretary Michael Gove’s warning about a “migration free for all” if Britain stays. 

The FT flags up concerns by the Electoral Reform Society Scotland that SNP success has left Scotland’s political system “dangerously lopsided”. 

Camley’s cartoon

The Herald:

Camley finds the going getting tough for two familiar institutions.

Need to know

The Herald:

WAYS to prepare for a manifesto launch: put good suit in dry cleaners, check all ducks in a row fact-wise, get ready to fend off suggestions you will be out of a job in a month … 

The latter option would not be in the dream scenarios of any leader, but such is the position Scottish Labour’s Kezia Dugdale finds herself in today. 

Yesterday Ms Dugdale underwent trial by Sunday telly interview, telling BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland it was not the case, as she had said previously, that she might back independence in certain circumstances.  

"I will always vote No against independence...in every scenario I would vote No again, because I believe the economic case for independence has fallen apart,” she said. 

She was on similarly tricky grounds when it came to defence policy, saying the manifesto, to be published on Wednesday, will oppose Trident renewal. But, as our political correspondent Daniel Sanderson reports today, she would not say whether she personally backed the policy. 

It is on questions of tenure, however, that Ms Dugdale looked the most uncomfortable. Some Sunday papers reported that there could be moves to unseat her if the party is beaten into third place by the Tories. Ms Dugdale said she did not believe that would happen, and even if it did she would not be resigning. One replacement being mooted is former MP Anas Sarwar (above). 

All of which makes The Herald’s Facebook Q&A today with Ms Dugdale essential viewing. Tune in at 3.30pm at www.facebook.com/heraldscotland

Afore ye go

The Herald: “Mum, dad, Nelson Mandela, Whitney Houston, Jack Nicholson, William Wallace, Winston Churchill.”

Tory peer Michelle Mone chooses her “dream dinner party guests”. Mail on Sunday, You magazine. Wonder how Braveheart (as played by Mel Gibson, above) and Churchill would get on when it came to passing the port? Cassandra Hanagan/Getty Images

The Herald:

“Barack Obama is entitled to his view and he is an honoured guest, but it is ridiculous to warn that the UK will be at the back of the queue for a free trade deal.”

London mayor Boris Johnson is not for turning on the US president, despite one Vote Leave official saying his attack on Obama was a “misjudgment”. Mail on Sunday. Chris Ratcliffe/Getty Images

The Herald:

"That couldn't have gone much better if I had been playing the role of Barack Obama myself.”

What In camp spin doctor James McGrory reportedly told a friend about Obama’s intervention. Tim Shipman, Sunday Times. Alexander Koerner/Getty Images

The Herald:

"If you find them on a good day, Alastair may even act out scenes from the Thick of It while Peter may try to perform scenes from Yes Minister."

The pitch for dinner with messrs Campbell and Mandelson, above, as sold to raise money for the Stronger In campaign. Someone, probably not Tony Blair, paid £14,000. Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images

The Herald:

"God, this is depressing, isn't it.”

LibDem leader Willie Rennie, above, talking about the SNP keeping open the option of indyref2 in the event of Brexit. Murnaghan, Sky News. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

The Herald:

"'Look, Nick, I just don't care. We've only got one Conservative MP north of the border. Let Labour sort it out. It's now their problem’.”

What David Cameron said to Nick Clegg when the LibDem leader told him the referendum aftermath was turning sour, according to David Laws’ memoir, Coalition: The Inside Story Of The Conservative-Liberal Democrat Coalition Government. Ben Pruchnie/Getty Images

The Herald:

"Ruth Davidson's election claims are badly undermined by the revelation that her boss simply 'doesn't care' about Scotland.”

An SNP spokesman. Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

The Herald:

“Donald Trump said something un-Trumpy. He was on The Today Show and Matt Lauer asked him about the transgender law, and whether Caitlyn Jenner (above, in red) would be welcome to use the bathroom at Trump Tower, and Trump said she should be able to use whatever bathroom she wants. Ted Cruz believes that transgender people should hold it in.”

Jimmy Kimmel Live on the North Carolina “bathroom law”. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The Herald:

"At some point, I'm going to be so 'presidential' that you people will be so bored.”

Donald Trump on the stump in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The Republican hopeful will make a keynote foreign policy speech this week. Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The Herald:

"The Archers should be subjected to a lifetime of powdered custard for their fanciful incarceration of Helen."

Is Tory MP Anna Soubry throwing her hat in the ring to be the leader of the "Free the Ambridge One" campaign? 

The Herald:

£106 million

Having this much in the bank allows F1’s Lewis Hamilton to lift the title of Britain’s richest sportsperson, as revealed in the Sunday Times Rich List, published yesterday. Lars Baron/Getty Images

Diary

  • Commons: Immigration Bill. 
  • Glasgow: Around 70 Scaffolders and labourers employed by Interserve Industrial Services at a waste-to-energy plant will take 48 hours' strike action in a dispute over pay. 
  • Glasgow: Glasgow Disability Alliance manifesto launch. 
  • London: Prince Harry to attend three services commemorating Anzac Day. 
  • London: Lord Owen speech on implications of Brexit for EU foreign and defence policy.
  • Hanover: David Cameron G5 summit with leaders of US, Germany, France and Italy. 

Thank you for reading. See you tomorrow.