On 7 July 2023, it will be 100 days since First Minister Humza Yousaf was sworn in as First Minister of Scotland.
Since then there have been good days and bad, most notably the arrest of his predecessor in office, Nicola Sturgeon. There have been problems for the government in having to scrap the Deposit Return Scheme. The next General Election which will be held no later than 24 January 2025 will be a telling moment for the SNP which has enjoyed election highs at all levels in the past 15 years or so.
The leadership election held earlier this year was bitter and divisive for the party, and the First Minister has a job to do in bringing the party and the government together.
Mr Yousaf said:“Being First Minister of Scotland, leading the country I love, is the greatest honour of my life.
“In my first 100 days leading the Scottish Government we have made real progress for the people of Scotland on our three defining missions – equality, opportunity and community.
“Our efforts are delivering now but are also laying the groundwork for the future, for example over 300,000 children are benefitting from the landmark Scottish Child Payment. We are reducing NHS waiting lists and our new, ten-year cancer strategy will improve chances of survival and reduce health inequalities. We’ve increased support to help people during the cost of living crisis, providing particular support to people with their energy bills by increasing funding for the Fuel Insecurity Fund to £30 million. We are investing in the green economy, energy innovation and security by funding hydrogen projects and supporting ties between academia and industry.
“While progress in the short term is encouraging, making good on these priorities will require long-term ambition matched with long-term action. I set out to reset the Scottish Government’s relationship with business, and our New Deal for Businesses Group will help us maximise the opportunity of a growing and green economy with fairness at its heart, teamed with our innovation strategy to harness the skills and ingenuity of our people to support that transformation and drive lasting economic improvements.
“To tackle child poverty and help parents, we’ve provided an additional £15 million so thousands more low-income families can benefit from free school age childcare, enhancing what is already the most generous childcare offer in the UK and with plans to expand our Early Learning and Childcare offer to one-year olds and more two-year olds. Work to rebuild and reshape how education is delivered for the benefit of all learners is also well underway, with around 38,000 people contributing to our National Discussion.
“Proposals for legislative reforms will put victims and witnesses at the heart of our Justice system, and reduce the risk of reoffending thereby keeping crime down and communities safe.
“Independence for me is not an abstract concept. It is the means by which we take our own future into our own hands. There is a much better alternative to Westminster control, and that alternative is to take decisions for ourselves as an independent nation.
“That is why I published our latest paper in the Building a New Scotland series which sets out the opportunity we have to embed democracy, rights and equality at the heart of a written constitution for an independent Scotland.
“This is only the beginning, and I am determined that my government will continue to deliver for all of the people of Scotland.”
The First Minister continues to forge ahead with independence plans claiming a mandate from the electorate. Before the SNP Independence Convention last weekend, Scottish Conservative Deputy Leader Meghan Gallacher MSP, said: “Humza Yousaf’s latest plan to push his independence obsession confirms that he has taken Nicola Sturgeon’s strategy and put it on steroids.
“After playing to the nationalist gallery on Saturday, the wider public will have seen through these interviews that he is hellbent on turning the next General Election into a polarising vote on breaking up the United Kingdom.
“At a time when people across Scotland are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis and want the SNP-Green government to focus on their real priorities, Humza Yousaf is typically obsessed with holding another divisive referendum as soon as possible.
“It is clear that the self-styled first activist is talking about his favourite subject to deflect from the chaos engulfing his party and their overwhelming failures during their 16 years in office.
“Whether it was on the health service, their ferry fiasco, the lack of dualling the A9 or the spiralling costs for a replacement Barlinnie, Humza Yousaf had no answers.
“Only the Scottish Conservatives are standing up to this independence-obsessed First Minister, and when it comes to the General Election, every vote for us is a vote to stop the SNP and ensuring the focus is on finding solutions to the real challenges facing the country.”
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
