Caledonian Sleeper into public ownership

The Caledonian Sleeper rail service will follow ScotRail into public ownership later this year, the Scottish Government has announced.

The move comes after ministers decided last year to terminate Serco’s contract to run the service seven years early.

It will stop operating the cross-border rail operation in June, at which point it will be nationalised.

The service, which has been operating in various forms since 1873, runs overnight trains between Scotland and London.

There is a Lowlander route between London and Glasgow and Edinburgh, and a Highlander route to Aberdeen, Inverness and Fort William.

In a statement to MSPs, Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth said an arm’s length company of the government would take over the franchise on June 25. She said the step would “provide stability and certainty” for passengers and staff.

The decision to end Serco’s contract came after the company tried to renegotiate the deal through a “rebase clause”, to put the loss-making service on “a more sustainable financial footing”.

Walker’s Shortbread is exploring how to create a vegan version of its best-selling product in an effort to further broaden its appeal.

Managing Director Nicky Walker, who is a fourth-generation member of the business’ founding family, said vegan shortbread would help the Speyside-headquartered company “move with the times”.

Developing a vegan alternative would involve finding a non-dairy alternative to butter for the 125 year-old Scottish biscuit maker and royal warrant holder.

“Vegan is very much something we’re looking at right now,” said Nicky Walker.

“We’d like our product to be globally accepted, whether that means kosher, organic, gluten-free… we want to have our product enjoyed by as many different factions as possible.”

Founded in 1898 by Joseph Walker, Walker’s shortbread is one of Scotland’s best-known brands. The business makes a range of biscuits, cakes and oatcakes but is most associated with its all-butter shortbread.