Lara Bird

I have a really good solution for that: let us go, let us be independent.

I think there's been a really funny sort of momentum in Scotland at the moment who have all become really passionate Mexican supporters and will probably all become very passionate Norwegian supporters.

I was not supporting England the other night, no.

You can’t have Westminster politicians in the UK, English politicians talking about how Scotland is doing it so wrong, so wrong in your words, when actually our results show something completely different.

The fact that we did that, scrapping tuition fees, means that young children in Scotland who might come from disadvantaged backgrounds have an access to education and are not going to be punished for that and that is good for the Scottish…

With Westminster policies wiping billions of pounds from Scotland’s economy, and causing unemployment and the cost of living to soar, it’s clear Scotland needs the full powers of independence so we can build a stronger economy and a better…

The UK jobs market has significantly weakened under the Labour Government – and the UK now faces a growing unemployment crisis as a result of damaging Labour Party policies.

The national insurance tax hike has been a hammer blow for these businesses, adding billions of pounds in extra costs, preventing growth and reducing vacancies.

Andy Burnham must urgently think again and scrap the Labour Party’s national insurance tax hike, which has destroyed jobs and been a disaster for small and medium-sized businesses.

That was just a demonstration that my loyalty will always be to the people of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry.

I'm loyal to them and I want to show my allegiance to them and I don't think it's particularly democratic in this day and age to have to swear your allegiance to the King to come and represent the folk who elected you.

I take this oath only so that I can serve the people of Arbroath & Broughty Ferry.

I'm not the first MP to have done this and I'm confident I won't be the last – it's pretty telling though that the Westminster establishment find it so offensive that a new MP would pledge allegiance to her constituents.

I made it clear in my campaign that I entered politics to serve my local community and my country and that's what I intend to do every single day that I am honoured to be elected to serve the people of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry.

On my first day in the job I wanted to make very clear that my true commitment and allegiance will always be to my constituents here and more widely to the people of Scotland.

My key priority will be demanding help for families with the soaring cost of living, securing investment for our local communities, and ensuring people across Scotland can have the choice of a better future with independence.

It says it all, that on the day I’m travelling to the UK Parliament for the first time as the new MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, the Westminster Government is descending into chaos again.

Scotland has been hammered by a decade of constant chaos at Westminster.

The people of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry have rejected the politics of division and hate.

Scotland's future lies with independence

Voters had rejected the politics of division and hate

It is an immense privilege to have the people of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry put their faith in me and the SNP.

We have demanded more for our community and our nation than Westminster can ever offer us and with every day that passes, I become more certain that we will win our nation’s independence.

This by-election was about the future that we want for Scotland and the people of Arbroath and Broughty Ferry have once again made it clear that our future lies with independence.

Rejected the politics of division and hate