SNPScotland’s First Minister has pledged to make the SNP an “election-winning” machine again as he delivered the closing speech of his party’s annual conference in Edinburgh.
Speaking to a crowd in the capital, John Swinney said he would learn from the mistakes made during the General Election, where the SNP dropped the number of its MPs from 48 to just nine.
The SNP leader also used the nearly 40-minute-long speech to attack Keir Starmer’s Labour government.
He accused the Prime Minister of forcing thousands of Scottish children into poverty by refusing to end the two-child benefits cap introduced by the Tories.
Swinney sought to pitch himself as a candidate of hope against Starmer who he quoted as saying “things will get worse before they get better”.
No policies were announced during his speech in a change from last year when then-FM Humza Yousaf announced a surprise, nationwide council tax freeze.
The First Minister set out his four priorities as leader of the Scottish Government which are: ending child poverty, reaching net zero, delivering strong public services and boosting the economy.
He hinted that more help for struggling families is ahead but said the public will need to wait for the details in Wednesday’s programme for the government.
It’s Swinney’s first speech since becoming leader earlier this year and the first since the SNP’s election thrashing.
It comes amid a turbulent time for the party, which has had three leaders since the 2021 Holyrood elections and is still under investigation by Police Scotland over its finances.
That’s been coupled with a sharp decrease in membership which currently stands at around 64,000 – nearly half of its peak under Nicola Sturgeon in 2019.
But Swinney vowed to build the SNP back up again and pointed to its rise throughout the years from a fringe group to a governing party.
SNP“Once again, it’s time for us all to step up,” he told party members.
“I joined the SNP, not because I wanted a political career. I joined the SNP because I believe in Scottish self-government – taking decisions in Scotland for Scotland – I believe that is the key to unlocking a better future for the people who choose to live here.
“I believe that to be the case now more than ever – with all my head and with all my heart.”
Swinney vowed to deliver a “professional, modern, dynamic election-winning organisation”.
“And hear me when I say this: that is what I am going to deliver so we win in 2026,” he added.
He accused Labour of betraying its voters after chancellor Rachel Reeves said she would need to plug a £22bn financial black hole with cuts.
He said: “That is politics at its most cynical – and a total breach of trust with all those who supported Labour.
“This then has been a watershed week for the UK and for Scotland.
“I believe it will go down as an era-defining moment. A Labour party that promised change is delivering more of the same.
“The same Tory debt rule. The same Tory cuts agenda. Labour hasn’t delivered change. Labour is delivering the same damaging austerity as the Tories.”
The First Minister pledged to convince more Scots to back independence by delivering in government.
“My promise to you is that I will make sure independence is understood as the route to a stronger and fairer country,” he told the conference.
“Understood not as nice to have – but as urgent and essential here and now. That is how we will make independence happen.
“So my leadership is about earning the right to be heard – by delivering on the public’s priorities.
“It’s about people, prosperity, public services and the planet. Staying true to our values amid Westminster austerity. Total faith in Scottish democracy.
“And campaigning on an independence platform deeply intertwined with people’s everyday concerns.
“That is how we will lead our country to a more hopeful and optimistic future with independence.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “John Swinney’s attempt at self-reflection rings hollow while the SNP is continuing to dodge responsibility for its record in government.
“Instead, it was a copy-paste speech from a First Minister out-of-ideas and more focussed on holding together his divided party than facing up to the challenges Scots face.
“The SNP’s cynical and dishonest election campaign was rejected by Scottish voters, but it is still sticking to the same script.
“It’s time for the SNP to wake up to the scale of the challenges facing Scotland on its watch – from record NHS waiting lists to a stagnant economy to a growing attainment gap.
“Year after year we have heard the same warm words from the SNP, but the spiral of decline continues.
“Scotland deserves better than this out-of-touch and incompetent SNP government – and Scottish Labour is ready to deliver change.”
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