John Swinney

Those issues are intensely complex, which is why this issue has been resolved by the Court of Session.

I welcome the fact that the hotel continues to trade and it is my hope that a sustainable way forward can be found that protects jobs and secures the long-term future of the hotel.

I am very concerned to hear that the owners of the Salutation Hotel have entered administration.

Only the SNP will stand up for Scotland at each and every turn, including on our right to decide our own future – we answer to the people of Scotland while the Labour Party in Scotland will always answer to Westminster.

For as long as Scottish Labour refuse to engage with the reasons for their defeats and decline, they will continue to be punished at the ballot box – you cannot deny democracy to Scotland and expect the trust of our people.

The poll is confirmation of the strong support for the SNP under John Swinney's leadership and another confirmation that the SNP remains the only political party Scots trust to stand up for Scotland and advance the cause of independence.

I am taking an intensely responsible approach by asking for a further examination of whether there are opportunities to take forward that development.

I want the new prime minister to re-examine the proposals to ensure there is no stone left unturned to see if it could go ahead.

Crucially, this phase of investment will ensure support can be put in place immediately while we establish the foundations for longer-term investment over the course of this Parliament.

This fund will support businesses to cope with challenging circumstances, helping them to thrive and ensuring that Scotland’s islands remain attractive places to set up businesses and livelihoods.

Scotland’s islands are home to a wealth of talent, innovation and entrepreneurialism, but too often island businesses are held back by circumstances outside their control.

I’m very pleased to have led that campaign.

That's an assurance that I can confidently give to the electorate in Scotland.

The rebuilding of the party's finances allowed us to run a well-resourced campaign that took our positive message to every community in Scotland and made a major contribution to our historic election victory.

The publication of the SNP's accounts today shows that at the end of 2025 the party was in a position of formidable financial strength, having made a surplus of more than £500,000 over the year.

I urge him to reconsider and to reverse the harm done by the UK Government over the past two years.

UK Government decisions on immigration have inflicted pain on our social care sector at a time when demand for care is increasing and its choices on tax have heaped an £84 million bill on the sector by increasing Employers’ National…

I committed to provide an extra 45,000 hours of care each month and we have begun to deliver that increase within the first 100 days of the new government.

We are all too familiar with the challenges facing our adult social care sector, especially given our ageing population, and it’s why we must ensure services meet our growing demand for care.

But I’m absolutely over the moon to have my own mandate that allows me to improve the lives of the people in Scotland and that’s exactly what I intend to do.

I enjoyed working for Nicola Sturgeon as her deputy first minister and I delivered, along with her, significant improvements in the lives of people in Scotland.

The SNP has just won the election and has commanded the confidence of the people of Scotland with an election campaign that related to what I thought was the most important issue facing the people of Scotland in the election campaign…

So I think, on objective data, it demonstrates the SNP ran a strong, commanding election campaign, we got a big win from the people of Scotland, and I’m very pleased to have led that campaign.

The election campaign resulted in an SNP win. It resulted in the biggest gap between the SNP and our nearest opposition party (since devolution).

What we need, above all, is for the new Prime Minister to end the unfair EPL and put in place a sensible tax regime to protect the workers of Scotland and the north east.