🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scots must act now to protect our democracy and shared values from the rise of the far right, says John Swinney 👇 snp.org/scots-must-act…

Despite being supported previously by Michael Gove in the stories& Scottish Labour prior to 2024 General Election, I was in the House of Commons today & watched as both the Labour & Tory party talk Scotland down & voted against any proposal of change to benefit Scotland The SNP

Westminster has just voted to block Scotland from having control over migration policy. The Scottish Parliament has been calling for a migration policy which meets Scotland’s needs - but Westminster said no.

As I made clear in my speech today I was keen to work with colleagues in other parties to meet the various sector demands for a Scottish visa. After some daft arguments about watch towers Labour voted against having a even vote on the Bill 🤷

A bespoke Scottish Visa would allow the Scottish Government to introduce a managed migration system for Scotland that would meet our specific needs. The current one-size-fits-all hostile approach introduced by the Tories is only hurting Scotland and its institutions.

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To come to Dundee and fail to mention the university, never mind offer support to staff/students, shows just how out of touch Labour’s Scotland branch office manager is. Stark contrast to John Swinney's assurance The SNP is working to protect and secure @DundeeUni's future.

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We are making progress in our NHS, but we must do more. That means making it easier to access your GP, ending the 8AM rush, and delivering more surgeries and procedures. That’s exactly what my Programme for Government will focus on.

We’ll ensure thousands more people get seen quicker by the NHS. We’re funding over 150,000 extra NHS appointments next year, including ops, scans and check-ups.

It’s vital we catch health risks like high blood pressure and cholesterol early. That’s why we’re delivering 100,000 extra GP appointments - helping people get the care they need, when they need.

No more peak rail fares. The SNP are scrapping them on September 1st.

The SNP have built new rail lines, reconnected 19 communities to the railway, and now we will make your commute cheaper. From September 1, we are scrapping peak rail fares for good.

Donald Trump has proven himself to be an unreliable ally. Given his previous statements about the EU, our largest trading partner, I sought the UK Govt's assurances that there are no conditions on the UK's trading deal with the USA that would affect our relationship with the EU.

Leaning into Reform’s policies is not just bad politics, it’s bad policy. This could be hugely damaging to the NHS, care sector higher education and so many different parts of the Scottish economy. There is no one size fits all model for the UK.

Immigration is good for our economy, for our public services and for Scotland. We need a tailored immigration system and offered solutions, but Labour seems intent on following Nigel Farage’s agenda. It’s clear that decisions about Scotland should be made in Scotland.

Home office and UK Govt policies such as Brexit and the hostile environment are having a devastating impact on universities especially Dundee. I therefore invited the Home Secretary to visit the city so that she could see the damage that is being caused by these policies.

This evening I voted in favour of the Assisted Dying Bill. I welcome the respectful manner of the debate. And I'm grateful to my constituents who have shared their views. Having heard evidence at Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, I'm satisfied the Bill should move forward for further scrutiny by MSPs.

Today I voted with a majority of MSPs to support the general principles of Liam McArthur’s Assisted Dying Bill. It is without doubt the hardest decision I’ve had to make in my 26 years of serving in the Scottish Parliament.

Labour's own figures reveal their cuts will make 3.2 million families poorer and push 50,000 more children into poverty. 💬 Councillor Heather Anderson: "Labour will do what they always do – support the cuts at Westminster and ask the Scottish Government to clean up the mess."