Events from the year 2020 in Scotland
Incumbents
First Minister and Keeper of the Great Seal – 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.
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. 14 February – Jackson Carlaw is elected as leader of the Scottish Conservative Party. 17 February – Kate Forbes is appointed as Finance Secretary, the first woman to hold the post.
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. 13 March – COVID-19 pandemic in Scotland: Authorities confirm the first death from COVID-19 in Scotland.
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.
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. 26 June – Glasgow hotel stabbings.
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; on 10 August, Nicola Sturgeon publicly accepts that her government "did not get it right" over this procedure. 5 August – Following the resignation on 30 July of Jackson Carlaw as leader of the Scottish Conservatives, he is succeeded by Douglas Ross MP. 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. 12 August – Stonehaven derailment: A passenger train derails after striking a landslip near Stonehaven in Aberdeenshire, with 3 deaths.
October
15 October – Kintore railway station reopens.
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.
Predicted and scheduled events
Deaths
January
6 January – Danny Masterton, footballer (Ayr United, Clyde) (born 1954) 12 January – Jackie Brown, boxer, Commonwealth Games gold medallist (1958), British and Commonwealth flyweight champion (1962–1963) (born 1935) 15 January – Bobby Brown, Hall of Fame footballer (Rangers, Queen's Park) and manager (national team) (born 1923)
February
6 February – Jimmy Moran, footballer (Norwich City, Northampton Town, Workington) (born 1935)
March
9 March – George Strachan, cricketer (national team) (born 1932) 11 March – Dave Souter, footballer (Clyde, Dundee) (born 1940) 12 March – Alexander Gordon, 7th Marquess of Aberdeen and Temair, peer (born 1955) 30 March – Alex Forsyth, footballer (Darlington) (born 1928)
April
5 April – Dougie Morgan, rugby union player (Stewart's Melville, British and Irish Lions, national team) (born 1947) 14 April – Ron Wylie, footballer and manager (Notts County, Aston Villa, Birmingham City, West Bromwich Albion) (born 1933) 23 April – John Murphy, footballer (Ayr United) (born 1942)
May
1 May – Derek Ogg, lawyer (born 1954) 2 May – John Ogilvie, footballer (Hibernian, Leicester City, Mansfield Town), COVID-19 (born 1928)
July
9 July – Johnny Beattie, actor (River City) and comedian (Scotch & Wry, Rab C. Nesbitt) (born 1926) 13 July – Pat Quinn, footballer (Motherwell, national team) and manager (East Fife) (born 1936) 15 July – Maurice Roëves, actor (Oh! What a Lovely War, Escape to Victory, Judge Dredd) (born 1937) 17 July – Alex Dawson, footballer (Manchester United, Preston North End, Brighton & Hove Albion) (born 1940) 21 July – Hugh McLaughlin, footballer (St Mirren, Third Lanark, Queen of the South) (born 1945) 24 July – David Hagen, footballer (Falkirk, Clyde, Peterhead), motor neuron disease (born 1973)
August
4 August – Willie Hunter, footballer (Motherwell, national team) and manager (Queen of the South) (born 1940)