Chamber and committees

The public cast a judgment on the Conservative Party last Thursday, and it was pretty damning indeed about the future of the Conservative Party.

What the public are interested in, and what I am interested in, is delivering on the priorities of the people of Scotland. Right at the heart of the Government’s programme is investment to support increased capacity in the national health service, so that we deliver more GP appointments and better access to GP services, and get waiting lists down. That will preoccupy my thinking as First Minister. I will leave Mr Findlay to sit on the sidelines, as he does every week, throwing insults around and contributing nothing—I am going to deliver for the people of Scotland.

I may have used language that was particularly not worthy of me. If I have done that and used language that has not been appropriate for the way I go about my business and people are concerned about that, of course I regret it.

Let me come back to the facts of all this. Since 2007, when this Government came to office, we have delivered 47 per cent more affordable homes per head of population than in England and 73 per cent more than in Wales. In addition, in the past year, we have had more house-building completions per 10,000 people in Scotland than in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. We also just passed a budget, which Mr Sarwar did not support, that is investing £768 million in affordable housing in Scotland.

We are addressing the homelessness issues that we face in our society, and we are taking action to support local authorities in tackling void accommodation. We will continue to do that, and we will focus on making sure that we address the needs of people in Scotland.

As I set out in January and reinforced in our programme for government, a long-term shift to prevention is central to sustaining and renewing our national health service. Scotland has led the way in public health action over many years, with bold measures such as the indoor smoking ban and minimum unit pricing for alcohol. We will build on that action by publishing our new population health framework in the coming weeks.

I generally agree with the points that Mr Whittle has made about the importance of preventative interventions, and that approach is exactly what the Government is pursuing.

As he knows, in 2010, I commissioned the Christie commission report, which gave us valuable insight into the approach to prevention. The Government has applied that approach to programmes such as: the promotion of healthy eating; the work to tackle obesity and reduce harms from smoking and vaping; the investment in sport and active living; the work to increase vaccination uptake; and our work on the benefits of social prescribing. I assure Mr Whittle that that focus on prevention will remain central to the Government’s programme.

I think that it says something about the depths that the Conservative Party has now reached that it is not prepared to take in good faith anything that is said across the chamber. It never ceases to amaze me how low the Conservative Party will stoop. It is a disgusting organisation.

I will happily give way to Mr Brown.

I am grateful to my colleague and friend Mr Brown, who has distinguished service of his own in the Royal Marines, for adding that reminder. It was made clear to me most powerfully when I attended a commemoration event that the Royal Marines organised just a few weeks ago, to mark the 80th anniversary of my uncle’s death and to recognise the significance of his contribution to their history.

Presiding Officer, I will draw my remarks to a close. On this 80th anniversary of VE day, Scotland pays tribute to our second world war generation. We thank all those who have served, or are serving today, in our armed forces. Together, in their honour, we dedicate ourselves to enhancing democracy, standing steadfast against fascism and building a better, safer and more peaceful world. Many towns and cities across the country will stage beacon-lighting ceremonies from 9 pm tonight. The lighting of those beacons represents something that is fundamental to our society: the light of hope emerging from the dreadful bleakness and darkness of war. It is a hope that we need now more than ever, and it is one that inspires us all to act, to reach out and to be champions of peace and democracy at home, in Europe and in the world.

I move,

That the Parliament marks the 80th anniversary of Victory in Europe (VE) Day, which took place on 8 May 1945; remembers the 380,000 UK Armed Forces personnel, including 57,000 Scots, and over 67,000 civilians who lost their lives during the conflict; commemorates the service and pays tribute to the sacrifices of those individuals from across Scotland and the UK, the Commonwealth and the Allied Nations, which ensured the peace and freedoms that are enjoyed today; appreciates the efforts of Legion Scotland and Poppyscotland to mark the occasion, including a national commemorative concert held in Edinburgh on 6 May 2025, Scotland’s Salute to VE Day, which was supported by the Scottish Government, and commends the work of both organisations and of veterans charities across Scotland in supporting the veterans of this conflict and their families, many of whom continue to be affected by the tragedy of war to this day.

I agree with Jackie Dunbar that a just transition for Scotland’s valued and highly skilled offshore energy workers is essential. I am deeply concerned to hear the news from Harbour Energy about its plans in Aberdeen. My thoughts are first and foremost with the workforce, which faces an extraordinarily anxious time. The Deputy First Minister is speaking with Harbour Energy on the matter today.

The fiscal and regulatory regimes for offshore oil and gas are reserved to the UK Government. The Scottish Government has made clear our concern about the extension and scale of the energy profits levy. I urge the UK Government to engage with the industry to address the fiscal realities and implications of the UK Government’s position.

My concern, first and foremost, is about the wellbeing of the workforce in Harbour Energy. I do not think that the way in which Mr Lumsden characterises the issue is in any way remotely helpful in addressing the concerns of that workforce.

I point out to Mr Lumsden and the Conservative Party that the energy profits levy was a product of the previous Conservative UK Government—[Interruption.]

The terrorist attack in Pahalgam and the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan are highly concerning. I share Mr Kidd’s aspiration that all leaders should choose dialogue, diplomacy and shared humanity ahead of force and bloodshed. There can be no winners in further military escalation. The world has enough conflict on its hands at present. I urge that dialogue in order to resolve the issues.

Scotland’s Indian and Pakistani communities enrich Scotland’s society socially, culturally and economically. I am mindful of the importance of encouraging and sustaining community cohesion in what will be a worrying time. I will do everything that I can to try to draw communities together at this anxious time in Scotland.