This weekend marked 100 days since the general election. That July day, Scotland and all of the UK chose change with Labour.
We ended 14 years of economically illiterate and morally bankrupt Tory misrule. And we delivered a Labour government led by Keir Starmer with Scotland at its heart.
With 37 Scottish Labour MPs elected, Scotland’s demand for change and a politics of progress and unity could not be clearer. And since the election, the Labour government has got to work to deliver for the people of Scotland.
In only three months we have delivered a Child Poverty Taskforce to take the fight to poverty across the country; established a National Wealth Fund to create well-paid jobs and scrapped the Tories’ cruel and unworkable Rwanda plan.
We have started work to improve access for Scottish patients to cutting-edge clinical trials; established a Covid Corruption Commission to get back our money and launched GB Energy – based in Aberdeen – to bring down bills, deliver jobs and put Scotland at the forefront of the global transition to green energy.
At the same time, we have secured a recognition deal with Brazil for Scotch whisky worth up to £25 million and introduced legislation for our New Deal for Working People – the biggest upgrade to workers’ rights in a generation which will deliver a genuine living wage, end fire and rehire and scrap exploitative zero hours contracts.
And when the Far Right took to the streets across the UK to stir up hate and target minorities, the response of Prime Minister Keir Starmer and the Labour government was clear – the politics of hate and division have no place in our society.
Just imagine what would have happened had the Tories still been in power when the riots began.
But thanks to people in Scotland and across the UK, we sent the Tory cranks packing and delivered a government that will face down bigotry and prejudice.
After 14 years of Tory chaos, there is so much that needs to be done to rebuild our economy.
Thanks to the Tories our economy is in a mess, with a £22bn black hole in the public finances and our public services are in disarray.
That’s why we have got to work now to deliver economic growth, strengthen workers’ rights and get our economy back on track. But the fact is that the story of our country’s recovery is half-written.
In July, we got rid of one incompetent government that was holding Scotland back. But here in Scotland, we are still being held back by an incompetent SNP government at Holyrood.
From our NHS to our schools to rising homelessness to rising train fares – it is clear that Scotland is being held back by the SNP. Things don’t have to be this way.
They can and they will get better. Scotland is a country full of potential, ideas and creativity – we just need a government that is ready to stand up for it.
That’s why Scottish Labour will work day and night to deliver for the people of Scotland and to ensure Scotland has a fresh start and new direction in 2026.
A politician of rare ability
The sudden death of Alex Salmond on Saturday came as a shock for me and for millions of people across our country. My thoughts and those of everyone at Scottish Labour are with his wife Moira, his friends, family and colleagues.
Alex was a politician of rare and unique political ability who was a part of public life for decades. He joined an SNP on the fringes of our political life and through his leadership he transformed the party into what we know today.
From the 1980s to the present, Alex Salmond was a mainstay of Scottish and UK politics. In Westminster and Holyrood, Alex dominated the political scene and excelled as a parliamentarian of clear skill and with a gift for a turn of phrase.
And as the First SNP First Minister, Alex wrote his name into the history books and secured his place in our national story.
A committed Scottish Nationalist, Alex led the Yes campaign with skill and enthusiasm. It will come as no surprise to readers that I and Alex Salmond had very different views on the future of our country.
Never far from controversy, Alex never shied away from making his views known with characteristic confidence.
Scotland is a very different place due to the political career of Alex Salmond. He leaves behind two parties that he was fundamental in the existence of, and a generation of politicians who looked to him as a father figure and mentor.
This will be a particularly difficult time for many of Alex’s former colleagues, his friends and family. He was a huge part of their life.
On behalf of Scottish Labour I send my best wishes and condolences to all who mourn the loss of Alex Salmond.
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