First Minister : Speech to SNP
Conference
**Check against delivery**
Conference
What a year 2026 has been!
A year that Glasgow once again played host to an outstanding
Commonwealth Games
When our world-class athletes competed under the saltire.
A year when the Tartan Army conquered North America
The world took to Scotland.
And I'm not surprised that we are making so many new friends.
Scotland has so much to offer - and the world knows it.
Edinburgh's flourishing international festivals
Universities that draw students from around the world
Tourists discovering our beautiful country
And investment flowing in from all corners of the globe.
Friends,
Even on our toughest days
Even in our moments of greatest self-doubt
We should always see ourselves as others see us.
A nation that is loved, admired and respected the world
over.
Conference,
It's been a pretty special year for the SNP as well.
We've been on quite the journey together.
When I became leader, I asked you to trust me
To let me do things my way.
And you have trusted me.
I said to you that by delivering on people's priorities, we would
win a hearing from them on Scotland's future
And together, we have done exactly that.
Friends, our opponents might not like it
But the SNP didn't just win on May 7th.
We knocked it out of the park.
Your effort this year was truly phenomenal.
A doorstep campaign that spoke to more voters than any time since
2014.
A digital campaign that ran rings around our opponents
And look what we achieved
A fifth consecutive SNP victory
More seats than the Tories, Labour, Liberals and Reform
combined
The biggest pro-independence majority ever
History made
Once again:
Scotland's National Party is Scotland's party of
government
We gained support in communities the length and breadth of
Scotland.
And I really do mean the length and breadth.
Because even after five election victories, we are still breaking
new ground
For seventy-five long years, Shetland was a Liberal fortress.
Not any more.
Doorstep by doorstep, won Shetland for the
SNP
Joining Hannah Mary are many fantastic new voices for our
movement.
in Moray - fighting the
corner for Scotland's iconic whisky industry
Jack Middleton- a fresh, energetic voice for the North
East
And - who won his Glasgow seat so
comprehensively the Labour leader he beat will spend the rest of
his life recovering in the House of Lords.
In every part of Scotland, the SNP is ready
Ready to move Scotland forward.
And be in no doubt
Ready to move Scotland forward to independence.
Friends
Out on the doors this year, we all heard directly from people
about the difference SNP policies are making to their
lives.
Kids kept out of poverty thanks to our Scottish Child
Payment
People going touniversity thanks to free tuition
A childcare revolution
Cheaper trains and buses
An affordable housing record unmatched in the UK
Tens of thousands more NHS operations
GP walk-in centres opening everywhere you look
The best cost of living package anywhere in these islands
Delegates, each and every day the SNP are making people's lives
better
That's what you get when you vote SNP
Conference,
Because we won the election and because we won the trust of
people in Scotland - we can now do two things
We can improve people's lives here and now.
And we are.
And we can build the best possible future by delivering Scottish
independence.
Make no mistake, if we had lost the election this year - if we
were out of power then the independence cause would have been set
back decades.
That's why our opponents threw absolutely everything at us.
But we refused to be blown off course
And we stayed true to our values, our beliefs and our founding
mission.
Now, our opponents are becoming ever more desperate
Ever more personal
At times, ever more ludicrous.
That is because they can see what everyone else can see
Friends, we are winning.
One by one, the stars are aligning in our favour.
In Holyrood the Westminster parties are weaker than they have
ever been.
In Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast every First Minister now
supports our nations' right to self-determination.
In Westminster Unionists are united in their panic.
You might say there's panic on the streets of London
I hear there's panic on the streets of Manchester too!
Support for independence is now leading in poll after poll.
And this morning, support for independence stands at 54%
Delegates, 2026 has been a turning point in Scotland's journey
towards statehood
And there is no turning back
The SNP is making the weather
And the wind is now firmly in the sails of Scotland's
independence movement.
Friends
We are winning the argument
We are winning, because of one simple truth
Scotland is ready to be independent.
Having our own Parliament and having our own government - has
helped us to define who we are as a nation.
It's more than just the policy choices we make
It's the values that we adopt
And the principles that we stand by.
Ours is a land of such wonderful diversity.
No matter where you were born, who you worship, or who you love
all of us have a contribution to make to Scotland's story.
So we start by making clear to every single person who chooses to
live in Scotland
You are all welcome here.
The forces of division and hatred in our society are real.
And we must unite to face them down.
When it comes to building a cohesive society, words are important
but so is action.
So we will act.
The best way to combat the rise of the racists is in the
communities of Scotland on the ground
So I can announce today that we will fund the community
groups
The people who are the very best of us
Who are doing the hard yards to build bridges and break down
barriers
We will back them with a new three-year £30 million Scotland
Together Fund
To give them the tools they need to push back the tide of racism
in Scotland
Words are not enough
Scotland belongs to all who live here
And the SNP will always fight the forces of the far right
Delegates,
Everyone who lives here deserves to live in safety and e
respected.
I have been appalled at the creeping normalisation of
misogynistic behaviour in our society.
It is one of the key drivers behind violence against women and
girls
It is unconscionable that in 2026 such violence still
pervades.
I am truly ashamed of that.
We saw a visible reminder of that just this week when so many
women turned out in Glasgow to Reclaim the Night.
I know that women are angry
They are right to be angry.
And I know I must show personal leadership.
So my Government will bring forward a Bill to make harassment and
abuse based on misogyny a specific criminal offence.
And we will do so before the Summer Recess.
It will recognise misogyny as a distinct form of prejudice and
abuse.
We will not accept misogyny.
It is completely deplorable
And it has no place in the Scotland we choose.
Conference, our education system also has a huge role to play in
this effort.
I said that every school will educate boys and young men about
the dangers and risks of misogyny.
Those were my words
Now I will act
Before the end of the school year, we will launch a new £1
million Respect Fund
Giving every school the resources they need to tackle
misogyny
Together we will reject sexism
Together we will embrace equality
Conference, changing our culture starts with men changing their
behaviours.
We will use all the tools at our disposal
Including the power of sport and our sporting heroes.
I can announce today a new partnership that will expand the
groundbreaking Don't be That Guy campaign.
This partnership will bring together high-profile sportsmen from
football, rugby, cycling, swimming, athletics, golf and
tennis
Positive role models.
Challenging head-on the harmful behaviours and cultural norms
that our boys and young men are seeing in life - and online.
The behaviour of men must change
I say enough is enough
Delegates
This party is a party that is about changing our country.
Tackling tough issues.
Facing what must be faced.
The UK is one of the most unequal countries in the developed
world.
And that means people cannot weather the UK's constant cost of
living crises.
The SNP have introduced help with household budgets
A level of help unmatched in the rest of the UK.
Free prescriptions and eye tests
Lower council tax bills
The Scottish Child Payment
Free tuition
The baby box
And peak rail fares abolished for good.
But I am determined to go further.
Everybody over 60 and under 22 can already travel on the bus for
free.
That's seen over 300 million free bus journeys by young people
alone
Last term, before the election, we capped bus fares in the
Highlands and Islands at £2
At the election, I promised to extend it - starting with the West
of Scotland.
And we've delivered that.
But conference, today we're not in the Highlands.
And we're not in the West of Scotland.
We're in Aberdeen
This is a region that has felt real economic pain
From Peterhead to Portlethen, Turriff to Torry
The cost of living is biting here just as elsewhere.
So I can announce that from April, bus fares in Aberdeen and the
North East will be capped at just £2.
But friends, cheaper bus travel is only one part of the story
We need more buses
And we need more frequent buses.
It's good for commuters
And it's good for the climate.
I can therefore announce today that by the end of this
parliament, through franchising and regulation, the SNP will
bring the bus network back into public control.
Friends, I think every day of what more I can do to help the
people we serve.
That means ensuring our public services are fit for the
future.
We are making real progress
But make no mistake
The status quo is not good enough
NHS waiting lists must come down further
Education must continue to improve
Social care must better meet people's needs
Working with frontline staff and trade unions
We will make the change people want
We will make the change people need
Our communities will be empowered.
Our public services will be renewed by an SNP
Government.
Conference,
Every day we are in government, we put our values into
action.
We know the kind of Scotland we want to live in.
And we know that, as always, Westminster just doesn't get
Scotland.
They seem fixated on harking back to the past
But conference, as has often been said, nostalgia for the past is
not a strategy for the future.
We'll leave Westminster to the past
The SNP are building a Scotland for the world of today and the
hopes of tomorrow.
We in this hall know that the case for independence is
undeniable
More and more people in Scotland now agree with us.
With our election landslide this year, we have got ourselves into
a fantastically strong position
And from that strong position, we are going to step up a
gear.
This weekend we launch a new campaign to reach those yet to be
convinced of the case for independence.
It's called Choose Scotland
And it will be the most sophisticated campaign that we have ever
undertaken
We know the people we need to reach
And we know how to reach them
Delegates, for those who consistently underestimate the
determination and the commitment of SNP members, let me reassure
them:
This campaign is backed by our six-figure war chest
It will be backed by our enthusiasm and energy
Because we are the party of Scottish independence
Our opponents may not want to admit it
But the referendum campaign on Scottish independence has already
begun
Friends,
Choose Scotland will offer hope
But it will also offer ambition.
Some think we should just be like Manchester.
Well I'm afraid I disagree
Scotland is no city
We are no region
We are a nation
And soon we will be an independent nation
If ever there was a time where people were looking for hope and
ambition, it is now
When we look at all the thriving independent nations around us we
get a glimpse of what Scotland can be.
The real excitement of independence is that it allows us to face
the future not with one hand tied behind our backs.
But with open arms
Scotland has economic strengths that many countries could only
dream of
Our energy sector
Our creative industries
Our thriving rural economy
Financial services
Life sciences
World-leading universities and colleges
Friends we have all we need to grow our economy and create a
successful country
We just need the powers of independence to buil it.
Immigration
Trade
Energy policy that works for Scotland
All designed to bring down costs for everybody
All designed to unleash the potential of businesses large and
small.
That is the Scotland I choose.
Delegates
With a stronger economy, we can choose to invest in the
wellbeing, the dignity and the security of all of our
citizens.
We can build a Scotland where every single child gets the best
start in life.
Ending child poverty is a moral imperative
But also the greatest investment we can make in Scotland's future
success.
That is the Scotland I choose
And friends,
We can choose to build a Scotland where every older person can
enjoy a life of dignity and security.
The UK's abolition of the triple lock is a policy of economic
despair.
They used to say things can only get better
Now they are telling us loud and clear that things can only get
worse.
Because a prosperous country can pay a decent pension.
When you look beyond our shores, the problem with the UK state
pension is not that it is too high.
The problem is that it is too low.
An independent Scotland with all of our resources at our disposal
can afford to offer everybody dignity in older age.
And we will.
That is the Scotland I choose
And friends
We do not need to forever bear the scars of Brexit
With each passing day, the damage of that decision one which
Scotland wanted no part of becomes ever more stark.
During this cost of living crisis, countries across the European
Union are able to make decisive interventions to support their
citizens.
Meanwhile, Britain has boxed itself into a corner.
Well we don't have to stay trapped inside Brexit Britain.
For our prosperity
For our security
We choose something better
Scotland where we belong back at the heart of Europe.
That is the Scotland I choose
And friends,
Let Scotland's voice be heard too on the world stage.
As a nation, we've got a lot to offer
And in an uncertain world, it is more important than ever that we
have our say.
And standing shoulder to shoulder in solidarity for as long as it
takes with the people of Ukraine
Standing unequivocally for a two-state solution in the Middle
East
And peace and justice for the Palestinian people
A voice for peace
A friend to be relied on.
That is the nation Scotland can be
That is the Scotland I choose.
And conference
In this uncertain world, what is certain is that the UK is
failing to keep Scotland secure.
Nuclear weapons have always been an obscenity.
But in the world of today - a world of hybrid warfare, of drones,
of sabotage, of cyber attacks
Nuclear weapons have never been so obsolete.
The UK has the means to kill millions of people in minutes.
Yet Scotland's vast coastline is left dangerously exposed.
That is a choice no Scottish leader would ever make
The UK's focus is on projecting power
Our focus is on protecting people
That's the real security that Scotland needs in the twenty-first
century.
From being at the heart of Europe.
From being an international partner for peace
That is the Scotland I choose
Delegates,
The UK that people voted for in 2014 is no more.
Pensions, Defence, EU membership
Back then, people were told that these were the biggest arguments
against independence
But now, pensions, defence and EU membership have become some of
the strongest arguments for independence.
Conference, it's no wonder people are looking for a better
way.
For centuries, people in the Celtic nations have been told that
we are not good enough
Our languages were derided
Our cultures suppressed
Our histories rewritten
That idea - that we are not good enough - runs deep in our
collective memory
It cannot be undone overnight.
But friends, be in no doubt.
Self-confidence is growing.
More and more people in Scotland can see the evidence all around
them
We are more than good enough
We are more than good enough to be independent
When I stood on a stage recently with pro-independence leaders
from Wales and Ireland, it certainlyupset some of our
opponents.
From their point of view, they are right to be worried.
Watching us pledge to work together
.and seeing the love and respect we feel for each other's
nations
never again can they portray us as separatists.
Because the truth is and always has been - this:
Independence is not about walking away from each
other.
Independence is about walking beside each
other
As equals
As internationalists
Shoulder to shoulder
Facing together the great challenges of our age.
That is the future - and that is the Scotland - I choose
Our nearest neighbours will always be our closest friends and our
strongest allies.
I will always want the very best for the people living in
England, Wales and across Ireland.
But friends, in the long arc of history, nothing is static.
And those that try to hold on to the past fail to grasp the
opportunities of the future.
In this period of history, the nations of the United Kingdom are
evolving into a new relationship.
That is something to welcome
Something to celebrate.
Because it opens the door to genuine cooperation between the
peoples of these islands.
United as friends
United - as equals
United - as independent nation states
That is the big picture the relations of states on the world
stage.
And that matters.
But in truth, it is not what motivates my heart.
I have told you today that I choose Scotland; that I choose
Independence.
But I also want to tell you why, in my heart, I believe that.
Why it is so important to me.
Why I am determined to deliver independence for Scotland.
The reason sits here amongst us.
You see friends I am not just the First Minster
I am a father.
And with us here today is my youngest son, Matthew.
My greatest task is to leave Scotland a better place the best
place it can be for him.
Each of us here has their own emotional connection to our
country's cause.
Each of us has their own motivation.
Matthew is mine.
He is on the cusp of adulthood.
Nothing is more important to me than building a nation on the
cusp of statehood into the country I know it can be.
For my son
Why?
Because friends, what are past glories what are old stories - if
we cannot build a future fit for ur children?
We do not build the future on nostalgia - for what has gone
before.
We build the future on the dreams of those who come next.
I choose independence because no one - no one - will ever do a
better job for Scotland than the people who love our country
The people who live here
Who work here
Who choose to raise their families here.
That is what is in my heart.
Families like those I saw earlier this week, cheering the
Scotland women's football team to victory.
Families, celebrating our culture, our traditional music, as my
son and I have done for years at the Music Festival in Tiree.
No fragile bravado as in days of old
But the quiet confidence of a nation ever more comfortable in its
own skin.
Ever more confident in its abilities.
Ever more ambitious in its aspirations.
And friends, that - as much as anything else - is why I say:
Scotland is ready for independence
And our independence is very close.
Just as the past is a foreign country, the future is an
undiscovered one.
The mistake we might make is to convince ourselves that we must
forever bear the ills of today for no other reason than fear of
the unknown tomorrow.
For a tomorrow built by our own hands built with our own values -
is never to be feared.
Rather, it is a tomorrow that it is full of hope and
possibility.
All of us, as we approach moments of change, of transition, can
doubt ourselves.
But it is only by being ourselves that we truly flourish, that we
can grow.
Friends, this land will not lay still
For its people are restless once more
Let us seize this moment
Let us walk together
And face the future with confidence.
Let us choose Scotland
Let us choose independence
