8 hours Ago By Katrine Bussey
John Swinney has promised to work on making Scots “healthier and wealthier” in the run-up to next May’s Holyrood elections. The Scottish First Minister will use his Programme for Government statement this week to set out his policy priorities and legislation for the next 12 months in the run-up to that vote. And he insisted that measures in that will focus on putting the “needs and interests of the people of Scotland first”.
While the First Minister would usually make the keynote statement in September, just after Holyrood returns from its summer recess, Mr Swinney said he had brought it forward to “ensure people know that the government I lead is entirely focused on improving their lives”. He said: “ Times are tough for households and businesses across Scotland, and the world around us is changing in ways that are difficult to predict. “But my promise to the people of Scotland is that amidst the uncertainty there is one thing they can be sure of – the government I lead will always seek to do what is best for Scotland.
” The SNP leader vowed: “As First Minister, I will always put the needs and interests of the people of Scotland first. “On Tuesday, I will bring my plan to Parliament that will strengthen our health service and ensure more money stays in people’s pockets during this cost-of-living crisis. “The 2025-26 Programme for Government will make Scotland healthier and wealthier.
” Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay insisted the First Minister must use the statement to “ditch his failed agenda and focus on delivering on matters that concern Scots every day”. The Tory stated: “John Swinney has a chance to do politics differently in Tuesday’s Programme for Government. “After 18 years of SNP rule, Scots are sick to the back teeth of disconnected SNP ministers failing to deliver on the issues that matter to them.
“Too much time and taxpayers’ money has been wasted on the nationalists’ fringe obsessions and SNP MSPs failing to use basic common sense. “A year out from the Holyrood election, Scots are desperate to see politicians showing some common sense for a change.” Mr Findlay stressed the need to “bring down people’s bills, get patients seen by their GP quicker, fix our crumbling roads, restore standards in our schools, and deliver better value for taxpayers”.
He added: “The onus is on John Swinney to ditch his narrow-minded nationalist agenda on Tuesday and start delivering for Scots.” Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton is also demanding a different approach from ministers. The Lib Dem said: “The SNP have offered the same dusty hat of policies for the last 18 years, but they aren’t pulling out any rabbits.
“Their failures are evident across our health system: in the pressures facing GPs, in the near extinction of NHS dentistry.” He continued: “There are a host of areas where the government needs to urgently press ahead – reforming business rates, dualling the A9 and A96, finally getting serious about industrial strategy and recruiting the teachers needed to put Scotland at the forefront of industries like renewables, AI, defence and precision medicine. “We should not accept that miserable growth is the best that Scotland can do.
We have a country packed with talent, aspiration and creativity but at the moment it is being held back by the establishment parties and their lack of ambition.”.
