As part of its measures to control the spread of coronavirus, the Scottish Government decided that public worship would not be permitted. Whatever your personal view on the justification of such a restriction, from a legal perspective, an outright ban of this nature was ruled by the courts to be unlawful. The blanket ban was therefore struck down.

As all manner of events surrounding all that has happened during the pandemic continue to be analysed, the significance of that ruling should not be overlooked, drawing as it did on important principles of Scotland’s constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.