SNP conference begins in the shadow of spending cuts
The party will review its General Election performance in private
As John Swinney begins his first SNP conference as party leader and First Minister he's warned cuts by the UK Government will leave his ability to serve Scotland "under real threat".
Mr Swinney - who succeeded Humza Yousaf earlier this year, following the collapse of the agreement with the Greens - urged Scots to rally against any potential spending cuts at a UK level, which would impact on the funding provided to Scotland.
Both the UK and Scottish governments find themselves fighting against dire financial outlooks, with Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing a more than £20 billion black hole in public finances, while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said the Budget expected in October will be "painful".
Finance Secretary Shona Robison has said "tough decisions" will be needed, as experts suggested a combination of high spending and uncertainty around funding from the UK Government could see Scotland struggle to balance its budget.
Belief in Scotland's future
He said: "The Prime Minister's speech on Tuesday has made clear that Scotland is facing years of austerity under Labour, which will have profound consequences for public services and living standards.
"Be in no doubt - our ability to serve the people of Scotland is under real threat by the sweeping spending cuts that the Labour Government are introducing - cuts that, only a few months ago, they were denying would take place.
"The SNP, and indeed Scotland as a whole, must come together to stand up against Labour's cuts.
"My belief that Scotland will be better as an independent country has never been stronger - and I know that we will win our independence when we show the people of Scotland that the powers of independence are central to improving their living standards, their local services and their communities.
"Under my leadership, the SNP will work harder than ever for the country that we are so privileged to lead.
"What people in Scotland need right now is hope and ambition for a better future - and that is what the SNP will offer."
John Swinney's career in pictures
John Swinney's parliamentary career began at Westminster. While Tony Blair's New Labour swept to power in the 1997 election he became the MP for North Tayside, what was once one of the safest Conservative seats in Scotland.
Along with a young Nicola Sturgeon, John Swinney was a prominent party figure as Alex Salmond led the SNP into the election for the first Scottish Parliament in nearly 300 years in 1999. They were pictured together at the campaign launch.
John Swinney was elected to the North Tayside constituency seat in the first Holyrood election in 1999, and is now among a handful of MSPs who have been there since day 1. He was given a place in Alex Salmond's shadow cabinet as spokesman on Enterprise and Lifelong Learning.
In 2000, Alex Salmond resigned as leader of the SNP. He beat Alex Neil winning 67% of the vote. But the party saw a decline in its fortunes losing seats at both the UK General Election in 2001 and the second Scottish Parliament election in 2003. After more poor results in the European Elections in 2004 he resigned, with Alex Salmond making a shock comeback to the leadership.
Alex Salmond led the SNP to an historic victory, by the narrowest of margins, in the 2007 Scottish election and formed a minority government. John Swinney was given one of the most senior Cabinet positions as Finance Secretary, a job he did until 2016.
In 2016, serving Nicola Sturgeon as the her Deputy First Minister he switched portfolios to take over as Education Secretary. In 2020 he faced a motion of no confidence following controversy about the perceived unfairness of the SQA grading system when school exams were cancelled by the Covid-19 lockdown.
John Swinney served as Deputy First Minister to Nicola Sturgeon for almost 9 years. Defending him during the confidence motion in the exams scandal she described him as: "one of the most decent and dedicated people in Scottish politics". He also resigned when Nicola Sturgeon quit, saying it had been "an honour to serve Scotland."
In 2003 John Swinney married the TV news reporter Elizabeth Quigley, at Saint Peter's Parish Church in Morningside in Edinburgh. They have a son, Matthew, born in 2010, and he has two children from his first marriage. Elizabeth has been living with Multiple Sclerosis since 2000.
Election post mortem
The conference will kick off in Edinburgh on Friday, with Mr Swinney presiding over a behind-closed-doors post-mortem examination of the party's election performance last month.
The SNP lost dozens of MPs, falling to just nine.
Speaking to the PA news agency on Thursday, the First Minister said he had been speaking to party members since the election, which he described as "very difficult".
"There's obviously a lesson that we've to learn from that, and that would be part of the discussion on Friday morning," he said.
"What's important is the SNP focuses on building for the future.
"We've got a great track record of serving the people of Scotland, we need to build on that to make sure we make the positive and hopeful case for independence and that will be at the heart of the party conference."
Over the course of the weekend, speeches from depute leader Keith Brown, Westminster leader Stephen Flynn and Mr Swinney will be punctuated by "policy discussions" with Scottish Government ministers including Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes, Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson and Ms Robison.
Israel meeting row
Mr Robertson will likely face questions from members about the recent controversy surrounding his meeting with the deputy Israeli ambassador.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said the conference "takes place in the long shadow of SNP failure".
She added: "NHS waiting lists are at a record high, exam results are tumbling and public services across the board are facing brutal cuts, but the SNP has no answers.
"This is a Government that has completely lost its way and we are all paying the price for its incompetence.
"The SNP is tired, divided and mired in scandal - it cannot deliver for the people of Scotland. They are a party out of ideas and Scots are paying the price."
Scottish Tory finance spokeswoman Liz Smith said: "John Swinney is fooling no-one with his desperate attempt to blame anyone but the SNP for the savage cuts and tax rises his government is imposing."
She added: "With the financially illiterate SNP destroying our economy, and Labour imposing savage cuts on the most vulnerable, Scotland is truly stuck between a rock and a hard place."
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