What's happened
An official inquiry into the Edinburgh trams project has found a litany of avoidable failures and significant responsibility on the part of the Scottish government.
Why it matters
The inquiry's findings highlight significant mismanagement and financial implications, raising questions about government oversight and accountability.
What the papers say
The Times reports on Lord Hardie's criticisms of John Swinney's role in the trams debacle, while The Independent highlights Transport Secretary Mairi McAllan's criticism of the inquiry's cost and conclusions.
How we got here
The Edinburgh Tram Inquiry was established in 2014 and took longer to report than the Chilcot inquiry into the Iraq war. The project was plagued by delays and cost overruns, leading to a significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of Edinburgh residents.
More on these topics
-
Andrew Rutherford Hardie, Baron Hardie, PC, QC is a former Senator of the College of Justice, a judge of the Supreme Courts of Scotland, and a former Lord Advocate, the country's senior Law Officer.
-
John Ramsay Swinney is a Scottish politician serving as Deputy First Minister of Scotland since 2014 and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills since 2016.
-
Màiri Louise McAllan is a Scottish politician serving as Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform since May 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party, she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Clydesdale since 2021. McAllan
-
The Scottish National Party is a Scottish nationalist and social-democratic political party in Scotland. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence within the European Union, with a platform based on civic nationalism.