Scotland’s papers: Voters head to the polls and Biden considers exit

As voters across Scotland go to the polls in the 2024 General Election, the newspapers take the opportunity to give their opinions on the front pages.

However, the BBC – like all other broadcasters – is restricted to reporting only factual accounts of the vote in line with polling day rules.

With the election understandably dominating the front page headlines, we have looked at some of the other stories featuring in Thursday’s papers.

The Times covers US politics alongside its UK election coverage on the front page. It reports that President Biden is considering leaving the race for a second term in the White House, as Donald Trump’s lead grows.

The Scottish Daily Mail reports that Emma Raducanu agreed to join Sir Andy Murray in the mixed doubles at Wimbledon after a last minute text message from the retiring Scottish tennis star.

The National writes that Paisley is to have its own pavement of fame, with Paolo Nutini and Gerard Butler among the stars lined up to be honoured with an engraved paving slab on the Buddies Walk of Fame.

The Daily Express writes that the Queen Camilla and Prince Edward have been installed into the highest order of Scottish chivalry in a traditional ceremony for the Order of the Thistle.

The Scotsman says the King and Queen sampled vintage whisky and attended Edinburgh’s 900th anniversary celebration at the castle which involved a showcase of the city’s modern progressive future including a Bollywood dance display.

The Herald reports that Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) made its 6,000th call out at the weekend when it responded to a holiday maker who sustained leg injuries when she fell 15ft from a coastal path near St Abb’s Head in the Scottish Borders.

The Scottish Sun reports that former Scotland rugby captain Stuart Hogg avoided a custodial sentence after sending a message to his ex-wife, who he is banned from contacting. The paper reported that he was given a deferred sentence for the bail breach.

Book festivals that cut ties with the Scottish investment firm Baillie Gifford after “intolerable” pressure from protesters have issued a plea for new funding, the Telegraph reports. Nine festivals including the Edinburgh Book Festival and Borders Book Festival ended their long-standing funding partnerships following a campaign by Fossil Free Books.

A promised new bypass on the A96 is “urgently needed” because of traffic gridlock in Nairn, the Press and Journal reports.

Perth Museum “surpassed expectations” by welcoming 100,000 visitors since it opened on 30 March, less than 100 days ago, The Courier writes. The new museum in the old City Hall building tells the story of Perth’s place in ancient and modern Scotland as the nation’s first capital, and is now home to the Stone of Destiny.

And the Edinburgh accent is considered the most desirable in Scotland and the third most in the British Isles, according to a report in the Daily Record.