Why Scotland's politicians must heed Judy Murray's call for 40 minutes of daily exercise for every child

The call by tennis coach Judy Murray – mother of stars Jamie and Andy Murray – for every child, girls and boys, in the country to get at least 40 minutes of exercise a day and for PE to be made a priority for schools should be seen as a challenge to Scotland’s political parties.

With the Scottish Parliament election just a few months away, we would like to see them all come up with credible plans to make this happen.

“Children are now living lives that are far too sedentary, often spending much of their spare time in front of screens,” Murray said. We could not agree more.

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Andy Murray and his mother Judy Murray during a show about his career at the SEC Armadillo in Glasgow, Scotland earlier this year (Picture: Ian MacNicol) | Getty Images

The Scotsman has long called for efforts to turn Scotland into a “sporting nation” because of the benefits to physical and mental health and to the economy, with a healthy, happy workforce also being a more productive one.

Scotland’s qualification for the men’s World Cup and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow next year represent golden opportunities to inspire the young generation to take a potentially life-changing step that they will never regret. Come on Scotland, we can do it.