“Scotland needs a new direction” – Sarwar delivers new year speech

Good morning and thank you for being here at the University of Glasgow today.

I would like to thank the University for hosting us this morning.

And it is wonderful to be back to a place that changed my life as a young man.

It's where I trained to be a dentist so that I could serve the public.

And it's where I received a world-class education – something that should be available to every young Scot.

And from this University, I was able to go straight into the NHS as a dentist in Paisley.

Serving and treating some of the most vulnerable in our society,

In an area with some of the worst dental health inequality in Europe.

This city – Glasgow – and this University have been at the heart of my story.

Actually this city and this university have always been at the heart of Scotland's national story.

It was here – at the University of Glasgow – where I was equipped for a career in public service.

It shaped me, it drove me, and it gave me a passion for public service.

And it is that duty to serve the people of our country that still drives me today.

I graduated from here almost 20 years ago.

A short period later, while I was working as a young dentist in our NHS, the SNP came to power in Scotland.

They came to power promising to deliver for the people of Scotland.

But now – almost two decades later – the question facing Scots is this.

Is Scotland going in the right direction or the wrong direction?

I think unless you are consumed by the bubble of the Scottish establishment, you know the answer to those questions.

As a new year dawns, it is clear that Scotland needs a new direction.

But how do we get it?

In 16 months time Scotland will face a choice - do we continue with the managed decline under the SNP or do we change direction?

Do we limit the ambition of our parliament and our government to protest, position and procrastinate or do we use it to reform, renew and deliver for the people of Scotland?

You see there was a time when our opponents said that we were negative about Scotland, that we lacked ambition for Scotland that we lacked confidence in our people and that they were the positive ones.

Well now that has clearly reversed.

We have the talent, we have the resources, we have the powers, we have the people, what we lack is the political will and ambition of our government.

In 2026 we will change that, because Scotland's best days and years lie ahead of us, but only if we are willing to chart a new direction together.

Scotland has so much potential and so much to give to the world.

And this University is testament to that fact.

From its establishment in 1451, it has educated Scots and spread knowledge and excellence around the world.

As the alma matter of Adam Smith and James Watt, this University was at the forefront of both the Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution.

Through the genius and work of those like Watt and Smith, Scotland was at the heart of these world-changing transformations in thought and industry.

It was here in Glasgow where Joseph Lister pioneered the use of Antiseptics; where Lord Kelvin pioneered the laws of thermo-dynamics.

And where the Father of Devolution – Donald Dewar – studied the currents of history and committed himself to the betterment of our nation.

A University, a city and a country – at the beating heart of the scientific, social and political transformations of our world.

That is the genius that Scotland has given the world.

And that potential still exists today if we are willing to grasp it.

And if we do, Scotland's future will be bright.

But what we need is a government with the vision and the confidence to support Scots to make it happen.

To lift our gaze, broaden our shoulders and heighten our ambitions.

To sell Scotland to the world – not just to Scots.

To unlock the potential of everyone in our society so that they can thrive.

And to put Scotland once more at the global forefront of innovation and growth.

This is what I believe, it's what drives me every day and it's why I seek to serve the country I love.

So as 2025 begins, we find our country facing a choice.

More decline or a new direction for Scotland?

Because – bluntly – our country is not delivering what hard-working tax-paying Scots deserve.

If we are to chart a new direction for Scotland; we must face the challenges before us – the challenges that are holding Scotland back.

The harsh truth is that Scotland 2025 is a nation where the SNP has weakened every institution.

Where every public service is straining after almost two decades of SNP Government control.

And where Scots are shelling out more of their hard-earned cash to get less.

In short our country is stuck.

Stuck in a rut where Scots have to wait too long for healthcare, feel insecure both economically and often in their communities, and fear for the future opportunities of their children.

Meanwhile council tax and income tax skyrockets.

It doesn't need to be like this.

But this is the Scotland that nearly two decades of SNP government has created.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm not going to pretend that every decision they have made over that last two decades has been a bad one.

But I think it is clear to see that this SNP is not the party that it was, that it has lost its way, has run of steam and run out of ideas, is now incompetent in Government and is bad with your money.

Think back to 2007 when the SNP first came to power, they were optimistic about the future of Scotland.

They pledged to support our NHS, treat patients faster and tackle health inequalities;

To ensure our young people thrive

And to make Scotland a fairer country by scrapping the council tax and delivering value for money.

These were the ideals that won the support of many Scots – but in Scotland 2025, do you really feel this is what they have delivered?

Do you feel better off or worse off?

Do you feel that public services are better or worse? Treatment faster or slower? Schools better or worse?

Your own city, town, village or island – weaker or stronger?

Almost two decades on, the reality is that they've broken their promises to the Scottish people and blown their chance to deliver.

That's why over the coming year we will remind them time and time again of their failures, but more importantly, we will demonstrate to people in Scotland what a new direction will mean in practice – how it will deliver for them and their family..

In each area of responsibility for the Scottish Government, we will demonstrate the consequences of their incompetence and set out what a Scottish Labour Government would do differently.

Friends – nowhere is the fact that SNP are taking us in the wrong direction clearer than in our NHS, where I started my public service, and in the state of Scotland's health.

As we speak, almost one in six Scots are stuck on an NHS waiting list.

Our A&E services are in disarray – with Scots routinely waiting over a day to be seen and corridor care now a normality.

Thousands of Scots are either left unsupported or stuck in hospital waiting for a social care package so that they can live with the dignity and decency they deserve.

And tragically too many are having to borrow money from friends and family or remortgage their homes so they can get treatment privately because they can no longer bear the pain.

But it wasn't always like this.

When the SNP came to power in 2007, they inherited an NHS in robust health.

Where waiting times were falling and were measured in weeks – not months or years.

But in their time in power, the SNP has plunged our NHS into permanent crisis.

In 2007 almost all patients in A&E were seen within four hours - now a third of all patients wait over four hours.

And shockingly 1 in 10 are waiting over half a day in A&E.

On their watch, drug deaths have soared from 455 a year in 2007 to 1,172 a year in 2023 - nearly a threefold increase.

The tragedy is that the numbers have got so stark and the failure so regular that they have become desensitised to the trauma and they hope you have too.

In short, the principle of an NHS free at the point of need for all has been abandoned.

And shamefully on the SNP's watch, life expectancy has fallen.

So a new direction will mean clearing the waiting list backlogs, having an NHS that is there when you or a loved one need it and delivering an NHS fit for the future.

And that's what  a Scottish Labour Government will deliver.

Nowhere is it clearer that John Swinney is taking us in the wrong direction than education.

John Swinney has been at the heart of the SNP since I was a child at school and he has been at the heart of this SNP Government throughout.

Don't forget he was the Education Secretary that attempted to downgrade the marks of working-class kids during the pandemic.

The SNP rewarded him with the top job.

Our education system – once the envy of the entire world – is now a shadow of what it should be.

When the SNP took power in 2007, our schools were high in international league tables.

Proper workforce planning saw teacher numbers rising to meet growing demand.

And the Labour government had reformed and modernised the curriculum to meet the challenges of the future.

But what about now?

Our schools are facing soaring levels of violence with teachers and pupils fearing for their safety.

Our education system has consistently slid down the international league tables and has been overtaken by other parts of the UK – with the SNP attempting to remove Scotland from the tables to avoid embarrassment.

One in three Scots children are now regularly absent from school and soaring numbers of pupils have assisted support needs but are going without support.

Teacher numbers have fallen by almost 2,000 compared to 2007.

And despite shortages, teachers are struggling to get full-time work.

Working class pupils have been held back – with too many left to go on to unemployment or under-employment, all while cuts to colleges hit hard.

So a new direction means closing the opportunity gap, ensuring every child has the chance to succeed, and having a skills system that supports every young person no matter the journey they take through an apprenticeship, college, university or work.

A new direction means making schools a place where teachers and pupils feel supported and safe and where our young people are nurtured and learn the modern skills they need for life and for work.

But a new direction must also mean recognising that the world of work is changing and that means lifelong learning and opportunity.

That's what a Scottish Labour Government will deliver.

It's often said that the first responsibility of any government is to keep its citizens safe.

That means ensuring a sense of security, but again we are going in the wrong direction.

More Scots are feeling unsafe on their own streets, in their own communities and increasingly online too.

Police numbers are declining, with morale collapsing and many officers eyeing up early retirement.

In every community anti-social behaviour is too high- and communities feel like they are losing control.

Violent crime is on the rise.

Police stations are closed.

And community policing is almost a thing of the past as hard-pressed officers try to survive criminal failures from Scottish ministers.

We see the same paralysis in our courts and prisons.

Scotland's prisons have been left to crumble with emergency prisoner release being used to prevent a full-scale breakdown of the system.

Court backlogs leave criminals unprosecuted and delay the comfort and closure of justice for victims of crime.

It also takes vital resources off the frontline as hundreds of police officers spend days in court, most of whom never actually give evidence.

A new direction means more local policing and yes more visible police officers, but it must be more than that, it is a sense of security and belonging where communities are protected, where justice is swift, and violence against woman and girls is confronted.

That's what a Scottish Labour Government will deliver.

To deliver a new direction for our public services we have to confront the failure to properly support Scotland's businesses and grow Scotland's economy.

Because this changed Scottish Labour Party knows you only get to deliver social change if it is backed up with a strong, growing economy.

Without a growing economy and tax base, our public services are at risk of cuts and decline.

Between 1997 and 2007, Labour delivered over 270,000 new jobs in Scotland.

But under the SNP, that strong economic legacy has been trashed.

Our employment rate has now fallen below the UK average.

Growth has flat-lined and businesses are struggling to make ends meet.

And all of this means less money in your pocket.

Because at the heart of all the SNP's failure has been economic and financial incompetence.

Budget after budget has failed to deliver growth and blown a £1 bn black hole in the heart of Scotland's public finances.

An SNP government that has wasted in excess of £5bn of public money on failed projects, all while failing to support small businesses with rates relief.

And the price is fewer jobs, lower pay and taxation on workers used as a substitute for growth.

It means working people struggling against an SNP government without a vision or a plan.

Who think tax rises and handouts are the only solutions to rising poverty.

And it is you who is expected to pay the price of their incompetence out of your wages, all while the size of government rises and productivity goes down.

Last year we published the business case for Scotland.

It set out how we would deliver a new direction for Scotland's businesses and Scotland's workers.

Working in partnership to deliver strategic pipeline planning and use the convening power of government, rather than just adding more legislation and regulation.

We set out our priority areas for growth – maximising the opportunities of the clean energy revolution, of digital innovation and tech and of brand Scotland and tourism.

And we will use the levers we have in Scotland to maximum effect – tax, planning, skills, enterprise agencies, regional development, transport and rates.

This current SNP Government wants to say all our problems are caused by Westminster, but they also seem to want us to wait for Westminster to somehow fix all our problems.

Is that what other places are doing?

Take Greater Manchester as an example.

They have fewer levers, powers and resources than we do, but they aren't waiting for Westminster, they are getting things done.

I know we have the people, the skills, the levers, the powers, the resources and the creativity to chart a new direction and together with a Scottish Labour Government we will.

There is one other area that has deeply connected social and economic outcomes – housing.

And few examples of the human cost of SNP failure are clearer than Scotland's housing emergency.

Just last year, some 242 Scots lost their lives while sleeping rough on the streets of our cities and towns.

This is shocking and shameful.

But it is far from inevitable.

When Scottish Labour was in power, there were on average 5,000 more homes built every single year compared to this SNP government.

And in England, a Labour government has set an ambition to build 1.5million homes in the next five years.

But in Scotland, too many families have seen the dream of home ownership become just that - a dream.

At the same time, renters have been trapped between soaring rents and often worsening conditions.

Most shamefully of all, we now have record levels of children in temporary accommodation - without a home to call their own.

That is over 10,000 children left homeless on this SNP government's watch.

When working people are denied the stability of an affordable home - surely it's clear this government is failing.

And, as ever, when it comes to government failure it is the most vulnerable in our society that pay the price.

We have over a million Scots living in poverty

There are 30,000 more children living in poverty now than when the SNP came to power in 2007.

And legally binding targets, set by SNP ministers look set to be missed.

Poverty is not an inevitable fact of life.

It is something that can be tackled and reduced.

But to do so, we must properly understand what poverty is, what causes poverty and what prevents people from rising out of it.

The fact is that poverty is caused by and maintained by issues across our society – from workplace practices to housing.

From education to our health service.

And it is the responsibility of this parliament and this government to tackle the root causes of poverty across all of these sectors.

But this SNP government has failed to do so.

You can't tackle poverty if people don't have safe and secure homes.

You can't tackle poverty if children are not getting the opportunities they deserve.

You can't tackle poverty if people don't get the healthcare they need regardless of background.

You can't tackle poverty if our communities are not safe places to live in.

You can't tackle poverty if there is not good, secure work available.

But on every measure, the SNP is taking Scotland in the wrong direction.

The SNP wants to pretend that one single benefit or payment has the answer.

The uncomfortable fact is that we can't end poverty with welfare alone.

To end poverty we need to get our economy moving, our public services working and create more decent well paid jobs.

So where are we after nearly two decades of SNP Government?

A country where no one can rely on our public services.

Where trust in our institutions has been eroded.

And where drift, delay and decay has become the accepted norm.

A government lost – without a vision for the future.

Unsure of itself and with no story to tell.

No new ideas.

No innovation.

No leadership.

Just the same old approach again and again, expecting a different and better result.

Just the same managed decline with the wrong priorities and no plan for change or reform.

Responsibility, accountability and transparency – not words common to this SNP Government.

Instead, what the SNP has spent the last two decades doing is creating a labyrinth of quangos.

Creating job after job in managerial roles but failing to improve the services that Scots use.

Obscuring government failure behind a smokescreen of red tape and bureaucracy.

As it stands, Scotland is home to no fewer than 131 government quangos.

We have more quangos than MSPs

And more bureaucracy than ever before.

Between 1999 and today, the number of staff in public bodies and corporations has more than doubled to 32,100.

£6.6bn is being spent on these bodies every year.

And millions is being spent on board members.

But the fact is that outcomes have got worse for Scots.

As the number of new institutions and quangos has soared – the standard of public services has fallen again and again.

In short – a Scotland where the people of Scotland pay more and get less to serve the ever-expanding machinery of government.

The truth is that the ever-growing number of public bodies doesn't just divert resources and time away from where it is needed;

It also provides an incompetent government with the smokescreen it needs to hide its failure.

There is always someone else to blame.

There is always another target that can be moved, a working group that can be assembled, and a self-serving whitewash report that can be drawn up.

All to shield those in power from the consequences of their failure to do the most basic parts of their job.

They fail – and you pay the price.

Government to serve the government.

Public money to protect ministers.

But it doesn't have to be this way.

Scots don't have to pay even more for poorer public services.

Government doesn't have to hide behind a smokescreen designed to create jobs for the boys and take responsibility away from ministers.

The truth is that things can get better.

We don't have to tolerate institutionalised managed decline.

Our ambitions can rise higher than a government that sees an ever-expanding government and a soaring social security budget as a badge of honour and not an admission of governmental and corporate failure.

But to do that we need new leadership.

We need a government that doesn't pass the buck.

That doesn't hide its failures behind others.

Or worse still, try to convince a country that is paying the price that there are no failures at all.

That's why I am stating clearly today that a Scottish Labour-led government would deliver an overhaul of the culture that has dominated the Scottish government.

We would end the quango culture.

End the culture of ‘jobs for the boys' on new public bodies rather than reforming services.

End the bureaucratic culture that is holding our country back.

In our NHS we would cut the red tape and reduce the number of health boards while empowering clinicians.

And we would streamline the vast numbers of economic agencies so that the public get value for money and businesses get the support they need.

As First Minister I would be clear – the buck would stop with me.

The responsibility to deliver functioning and high-quality public services would rest solely with me and my ministers.

No more hiding behind bureaucrats and working groups and talking shops.

A Scottish Government that is in the service of the people.

Running public services for the people.

And being straight with those who know best – the people of Scotland.

A government in the service of the people once again.

Focused on improving lives and services first and foremost.

That's what we promise

That's what we offer

And that is what we will deliver.

Government on the side of the people - all of Scotland's people.

That is why we need to chart a new direction for our country.

Because while the SNP has spent the last 18 years building a vast network of working groups, advisory boards and quangos in Edinburgh, communities across Scotland have been left behind.

As more and more jobs were created in government buildings, Scotland's rural and island communities faced a decimation of local services.

I have heard directly of the struggles to deliver necessary health care in rural, coastal and island communities.

I have met with communities who are being left behind in the progress towards modern telecommunications.

And I have met hundreds of Scots facing a ferry scandal that has separated families, destroyed businesses and left the islands behind.

And while Scotland's rural communities have been left behind, our urban communities have paid the price of government incompetence.

Our high streets have been gutted by a government that has starved our councils of funding and that has made doing business difficult for high street stores.

Just think about how our cities once thrived.

Here, in my hometown of Glasgow, the decay and decline is clear for all to see.

Our streets are full of empty and shuttered shops.

And investment and resources have passed the city by – going to places such as Greater Manchester and London.

A great city – of amazing potential – being held back by a disinterested SNP government and a clueless SNP Council.

From Glasgow to Stornoway, Peebles to Lerwick, Scottish communities have been left behind and forgotten.

We cannot have meaningful change for our country if the concerns and experiences of our whole nation aren't listened to.

That's why - between now and the Scottish election - I will continue to take our message of change to every corner of our country.

Shaped by the hope and aspirations of people.

The restaurant owner in Stornoway who is desperate for an end to the ferry chaos so he can get more customers.

Or the business owner in the borders who is being held back by a rates system that unfairly backs online retail giants.

Or the nurses in Lanarkshire who know first hand the pressures facing the NHS and what needs to be done to save it.

To the energy worker in the North East who sees all the potential around him, but wants to see it realised.

These are the ideas, the experiences and the hopes that will set Scotland in a new direction.

A vision to deliver for every part of our country

And a plan to improve lives for all.

This is what a Scottish Labour Government offers.

So in 2025, with the watchwords that have guided my leadership – hard work, humility and hope – I will seek to persuade you that a different future and a new direction is possible.

A new direction for the NHS - where we cut waiting lists, make sure the NHS is there when you need it and that it's fit for the future.

A new direction for our economy – where it grows, we support our businesses, revitalise our high streets and deliver better paid jobs.

A new direction for our young people – where we close the opportunity gap and give them all the chance to flourish.

A new direction for our communities – with more police on the street and where you feel safe.

And a new direction for our democracy – where we push power and resources out and serve you.

A Scotland where government serves the people.

And where as First Minister you the people come first and where the buck stops with me.

New hope.

New thinking.

New solutions.

A new direction for Scotland.

That's a future we can win together.

Thank you.