Scottish first minister to reveal plans in his maiden Programme for Government

Scotland's first minister will reveal his government's plans later this week to help grow the economy, deliver net zero, and eradicate child poverty.

John Swinney is expected to address the Scottish parliament on Wednesday to coincide with the publication of his first Programme for Government.

Ahead of his speech, Mr Swinney said the forthcoming year's legislative plans will focus on delivering a "wealthier, fairer and greener Scotland despite difficult financial challenges".

The first minister said: "Against a challenging financial backdrop, this year's Programme for Government will set out clear actions to deliver real change for the people of Scotland.

"The prime minister was clear last week that the UK budget, to be delivered in October, will be painful, and the reality is that the UK's finances will inevitably affect the funding available to us here in Scotland. Their decisions mean tough decisions ahead for Scotland.

"Yet despite this, the Scottish government will continue to prioritise action to eradicate child poverty, to grasp the opportunities of delivering net zero and to grow the economy by investing in public services and infrastructure.

"While we will work with the UK government wherever we can, we will continue to urge them to drop the damaging cuts and set new spending rules that support investment."

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Mr Swinney claimed his government had a "strong track record" of improving lives in challenging circumstances.

He added: "We have delivered an expansion of funded childcare, record investment in the NHS, renewable energy development, and the introduction of the Scottish Child Payment, which are strong foundations for this year's Programme for Government.

"Even when faced with unprecedented budgetary constraints, our aim will be to improve people's lives by focusing on clear priorities that make the biggest difference."

This will be Mr Swinney's first Programme for Government since taking over from Humza Yousaf as first minister in May.

Within weeks, Mr Swinney found himself leading his party into a general election which saw the SNP lose dozens of MPs, falling to just nine.

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Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: "It's time for the SNP to wake up to the scale of the challenges facing Scotland on its watch - from record NHS waiting lists to a stagnant economy to a growing attainment gap.

"Year after year we have heard the same warm words from the SNP, but the spiral of decline continues.

"Instead of looking to deflect blame and make excuses, the SNP should set out a real plan to fix the mess it has made."

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The Scottish Greens said "bold and transformative" climate action must be at the heart of the government's plans.

The party has published The Climate Reset, a policy paper that lays out proposals to "accelerate climate action and build a greener future".

The proposals include scrapping the plan to reintroduce peak ScotRail fares, diverting funds from the A96 dualling project into public transport, and creating a "real and urgent" transition plan for the energy sector.

Party co-leader Patrick Harvie said: "With global temperatures continuing to soar well beyond the records of the last century, and with growing threats from extreme weather events in Scotland and beyond, the time for business as usual is over."

He added: "The fact that the Climate Change Committee has said our 2030 targets are now out of reach underlines the scale of the failure to turn words into action.

"We cannot afford to repeat those mistakes. Every government needs to act and Scotland must lead the way."

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