the SNP

It’s now more than three months since the EU referendum and we still have no idea if the Tory government wants the UK to stay in the single market – putting at risk our right to travel visa-free across Europe.

This Tory Government knows the price of everything and the value of nothing – it cannot be right that billions are spent on obscene nuclear weapons or on dropping bombs in Syria while millions of women born in the 1950s are denied the pension they are due.

“No means we stay in” the EU. That was the message from Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson just days before people across Scotland cast their votes on independence two years ago. We all know now how that worked out. While I have spoken before about my deep disappointment of not achieving a Yes vote in…

Yesterday I launched Scotland’s first Climate Week – a week of events and training aimed at inspiring people across the country to take action on climate change.

In Scotland we can be proud of the progress we have already made on climate change. We continue to lead the UK in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and have exceeded the level of our 2020 target, six years early.

The First Minister has set out the Scottish Government’s plans for the next year.

Here’s just some of the action we’re taking in government to support Scotland’s BME communities.

In 2014, Scotland voted to remain in a UK that was part of the European Union. However, the result of the June 2016 referendum raises the prospect of Scotland being taken out of the EU against the stated will of the Scottish electorate. The resultant economic and social upheaval and damage to our international relationships…

Here’s just some of what we’re doing in government to support disabled people.

The First Minister has set out the Scottish Government’s plans for the next year.

On LGBTI equality, Scotland is already rated the best country in Europe, but there’s much still to do. Here’s just some of the action we’re taking to deliver equality for all LGBTI people.

The First Minister has set out the Scottish Government’s plans for the next year.

Here’s just some of the action we’re taking in government to support Scotland’s young people.

From support for the real Living Wage to tackling gender inequality in the workplace, here’s just some of the action the SNP is taking in government to create better quality jobs and fair work.

Scotland has benefited from membership of the European Union for decades, and I believe – as I have for all my political life – that EU membership was and remains the best option for Scotland Now however that membership and those benefits are under direct and severe threat as a result of a situation not of our making, and not supported by Scottish voters. As a nation, working with others, we must find the right way to counter that threat and secure the best possible deal in the coming negotiations both in Europe and within these islands.

Nicola Sturgeon has set out the Scottish Government’s plans for the next year.

Here’s just some of the action the SNP Scottish Government is taking to support Scotland’s remote and rural communities.

Nicola Sturgeon has set out the Scottish Government’s plans for the next year.

From making our NHS fit for the future to the concessionary bus pass scheme, here’s just some of the action we’re taking in government for Scotland’s older people.

The First Minister has set out the Scottish Government’s plans for the next year.

Here’s just some of the action we’re doing in government to support Scotland’s women.

The First Minister has set out the Scottish Government’s plans for the next year.

Against the backdrop of the economic uncertainty caused by Brexit, here’s what the Scottish Government is doing to support businesses, grow our economy and create jobs.

Nicola Sturgeon has set out the Scottish Government’s plans for the next year. Here’s just some of the action the SNP Scottish Government is taking to support Scotland’s families.    We will expand free early learning and childcare, taking further steps towards doubling provision by 2020. New ways to support low-income families with upfront childcare…

Nicola Sturgeon has announced the Scottish Government’s plan for the next year – the Programme for Government. It’s a plan that will ensure we keep delivering progress now and investment for the future.

Today we return to the Scottish Parliament for the beginning of a new term. It has not exactly been the quiet recess many will have hoped for after a busy election period, with the repercussions of a vote to leave the EU, a new and increasingly right wing UK Tory government and the continued squabbling of the Labour party to contend with.

A warm welcome to all of you here today.
As we return to Parliament next week, after a summer in which the work has never really stopped, we have a big job ahead of us.
So to focus minds at the outset, let me remind you of the results of the most recent Scottish Social Attitudes survey.

Today Nicola Sturgeon delivered a speech on Scotland’s future, and launched the first phase of the SNP’s new independence initiative.

Here are the key points from the speech.

This summer I’ve had the privilege of meeting island communities across Scotland. Having met communities in Na h-Eileanan Siar, Orkney, Shetland and islands in the Inner Hebrides too, I’ve seen and heard of the opportunities and challenges of island life.

The SNP has placed the needs and aspirations of our islands communities at the very centre of our empowerment agenda. But we want to go even further.

It has been 100 days since Nicola Sturgeon was sworn in as First Minister following her re-election.

From launching Scotland’s labour market strategy to taking action to secure Scotland’s continued place in Europe, here’s what your re-elected SNP government has done in the last 100 days.

Today the Scottish Government published Government Expenditure and Revenue Scotland – or ‘GERS’ for short – for the year 2015-16. GERS is produced annually and provides estimates of total public spending in Scotland, as well as tax receipts for the previous five years.

This weekend I have been in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where I visited the site of the 1995 genocide at Srebrenica.

It was a privilege to meet with survivors and the bereaved, and learn first-hand how they have fought to preserve the memory of their loved ones.

Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every individual.

In the UK, the Human Rights Act guarantees we are all protected by rights and freedoms set out in the European Convention of Human Rights (ECHR) and ensures that public bodies do not infringe them.

We believe that is a fundamentally good thing and will oppose Tory plans to scrap the Act.

Here’s what you need to know about the Human Right Act.

The UK government has announced limited measures to plug the gap in EU funding left in the wake of Brexit.

The Brexit campaign’s claims about the £350 million the UK would claw back from the EU each week to spend on the NHS have been exposed for the lies they were – with the Treasury announcement falling short of the required amount to protect even existing funding.

Our NHS is our most cherished institution and for as long as the SNP is in government we will work to protect and improve it.
There is no doubt that in doing so we will face big challenges over the next few years. People are living longer and our NHS is treating more patients than ever before.
That’s why we’ve committed to an ambitious plan to improve our health service and increase health resource investment by at least £500 million more than inflation over the next five years. That’s almost £2 billion of increased investment.

Nicola Sturgeon has today announced a package of measures to stimulate Scotland’s economy following the result of the EU referendum.

Action includes bringing forward government spending on infrastructure and providing fresh support for businesses.