Interestingly, the judges weren’t hesistant in choosing Douglas for the honour. Chair of judges Margaret Busby said the judges’ decision was unanimous and they only “took an hour to decide”.

The book is “challenging,intimate and gripping… anyone who reads it will never feel the same,” she said.

Stuart,44, said he was “absolutely stunned” to win.

Shuggie Bain is an autobiographical novel, about the lonely gay son of an alcoholic mother in 1980s Scotland. It was one of four debut books in this year’s shortlist.

The novel follows the life of Agnes Bain, who is descending into despair and struggling with alcohol after the breakdown of her marriage.

All but one of her children, Shuggie, have been sympathetic to her deterioration. He struggles to help Agnes while suffering huge problems of his own.

Douglas dedicated his book and his prize to his mother, who died of alcoholism when he was 16.

He said that Shuggie was “a love story looking at that unconditional, often tested love that children can have for flawed parents”.

Douglas grew up in Glasgow and lives in New York. He is the second Scot to win the prize, following James Kelman in 1994 for How Late it Was, How Late.

The writer made New York his home to start a career in fashion design. He started writing his book a decade ago.

The ceremony, broadcast from London’s Roundhouse, included contributions from the Duches of Cornwall and former US President Brack Obama.

Sir Kazuo Ishiguro, who won the 1989 Booker for The Remains of the Day, was also part of the socially distanced proceedings, along with last year’s joint winners Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo.

The judges were under strict instructions not to have more than one winner for this year’s £50,000 prize.Under new guidelines, if they could not agree on a winner, a majority vote would be honoured.

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Emirates has announced that it will start flying to 52 destinations in July, offering travellers connections between the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and the Americas through its Dubai hub, while ensuring the health and safety of customers and employees on the ground and in the air.
On June 29, it announced that it will re-start passenger flights to Cairo and Tunis from July 1, Glasgow from July 15 and Malé from July 16. These flights can be booked online on its website or via travel agents.
Customers can also travel to Dubai when the city opens to business and leisure visitors from July 7; new air travel protocols will be in place to facilitate travel for UAE citizens, residents and tourists.
Emirates has implemented a comprehensive set of measures, including the distribution of complimentary hygiene kits containing masks, gloves, hand sanitiser and antibacterial wipes to all customers.
The travel restrictions in force will mean that passengers will be accepted on flights only if they comply with the eligibility and entry criteria requirements of their destination countries. Visitors to Dubai should hold an international health insurance policy covering illness from COVID-19 for the duration of their stay.
Flights to India
According to a source The Gulf Indians spoke to, flights to India are expected to open only by July 30. The airline is ready to operate flights to India but the latter has not opened its borders yet.
However, special repatriation flights are being operated by Emirates to take home Indians facing health and personal emergencies.
India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had earlier tweeted that all four UAE airlines – Emirates, Etihad, Flydubai and Air Arabia – were involved in these humanitarian missions.

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