here at home. it's possible right here at home. this is meant to be a rich country, yet it feels like too many are struggling, no matter how hard they work. it can seem like society is becoming even more polarised and frankly there is a lot more common ground than we realise. people see all this and they want to know who has a plan to make their lives better? to make scotland a fairer and more prosperous country? delegates, if we, the snp, were to continue to be trusted by the people of scotland, and if we want to take them on ourjourney to independence, then we need to show them that we have the answers to these questions. a couple of weeks ago we had a tough night in the rutherglen and hamilton

west by—election. we can either spend time feeling sorry for ourselves, or we can take another course of action. let ourselves, or we can take another course of action.— course of action. let me tell you what that _ course of action. let me tell you what that is- _ course of action. let me tell you what that is. we _ course of action. let me tell you what that is. we roll— course of action. let me tell you what that is. we roll up - course of action. let me tell you what that is. we roll up our- what that is. we roll up our sleeves, we work harder than ever before for the people of scotland, and this is how i'm going to lead this party forward. it starts by standing by our values, sticking up for what we believe in, and always, every day, standing up for the people of scotland. friends, we have used our time on government to cement our social contract with the people. a contract that says, yes, those who earn the most should pay the most. the social contract in which everyone benefits,

regardless. and i am proud that this snp led scottish government has brought our rail back into public ownership. brought our rail back into public ownership-— brought our rail back into public ownership-_ a - brought our rail back into public ownership._ a rail. brought our rail back into public - ownership._ a rail service ownership. applause. a rail service that is wrong — ownership. applause. a rail service that is wrong for _ ownership. applause. a rail service that is wrong for people, _ ownership. applause. a rail service that is wrong for people, not - ownership. applause. a rail service that is wrong for people, not for - that is wrong for people, not for profit, and a rail service under this snp government that has scrapped peak—time fares. we have abolished prescription charges. we've made sure our nhs staff are the best paid in the uk, and now our brilliant social care workers will be paid at least £12 per hour. we've invested in our schools, more teachers and higher spending per pupil than anywhere in the uk. we've seen the biggest ever reduction in the attainment gap on literacy and numeracy in primary schools in a single year. we are helping families with the cost of living at times

when they need it the most. childcare provision, a rent freeze, free bus travel for young people, and conference, here is another choice the snp have made. if you are a parent struggling on a low income, you are now entitled to £25 per week thanks to the scottish trial payment. when budgets are tight, thatis payment. when budgets are tight, that is a huge investment for any government to make. but it is the right choice. do you know what it means? it means an estimated 90,000 fewer children in scotland are living in poverty this year because of the actions of the snp government. that's a government that has delivered and is delivering for the people of scotland. and friends.

that delivery is in no small part down to my predecessor. conference, nicola sturgeon transformed scotland and transformed public services. she improve the life chances of thousands of young scottish people, and we will never forget, in the toughest of times that our country face, nicola was the calmest of voices and coolest of heads, so for all of this and more we say thank you, nicola. all of this and more we say thank you. nicola-—

delegates, people are rightly interested in what we haven't done. we need to re—earn it, but what we're going to do for them in the future is more important, so let me tell you what we're going to do. and i will start with that most pressing issues. helping people through these difficult times. nobody in scotland caused this westminster cost of living crisis, but almost everybody in scotland is suffering because of it. and i never thought that in 2023 people on above average salaries would be coming to my constituency surgeries asking for financial help. . nurses, teachers, police officers. these workers _ . nurses, teachers, police officers. these workers who _ . nurses, teachers, police officers. these workers who are _ . nurses, teachers, police officers. these workers who are the - . nurses, teachers, police officers. these workers who are the very - these workers who are the very backbone of the scottish public services. people like them are being hit by this crisis too. we know

people are filled with dread when bills are going up and up and we can't stop all bills from rising. but where we can act, we absolutely should. and i've considered carefully what steps we can take to help. council tax bills in scotland are already hundreds of pounds a year lower than they are in england. we are committed to fundamentally reforming local taxation and we will re—energise our work to do just that. we have consulted on what level the council tax should be next year. and, conference, we have listened and we have reached our decision. i can announce to the people of scotland that next year, your council tax will be frozen. applause. your council tax will be frozen. applause—

your council tax will be frozen. applause. and that is the snp deliverin: applause. and that is the snp delivering for _ applause. and that is the snp delivering for people _ applause. and that is the snp delivering for people when - applause. and that is the snpj delivering for people when they applause. and that is the snp - delivering for people when they need it the most. as well as supporting people during these tough times, we need to do everything we can to support our public services. and there is no more cherished and institution than our national health service. the snp are already providing record funding to our health service. we have the best performing a&e units in the uk but increased waiting lists are the inevitable consequence of the necessary decisions we had to make during the pandemic. we are working hard to reduce these. and we've seen significant reductions in the longest waits since targus were announced lastjuly. we've opened to national treatment centres in fife and thailand, dedicated areas for

procedures. and we will expand that capacity with the second phase of the jubilee capacity with the second phase of thejubilee in glasgow. the conference, too many people are still waiting too long for treatment. and that is why i am announcing today that each of the next three years will see us provide an extra £100 million to cut waiting lists in our nhs. applause this additional £300 million of investment will allow us to maximise capacity, build greater resilience into the system and deliver year on year reductions in the number of patients who have waited far too long. this will reduce waiting list by an estimated 100,000 patients by

2026. when our nhs needs us, this party steps up, delivering for patients, delivering for the nhs, and crucially delivering for scotland. applause conference, we are of course here meeting in aberdeen. europe's energy capital. a city that successive westminster governments, be they labour or tory, westminster governments, be they labour ortory, have westminster governments, be they labour or tory, have used as a cash cow, squandering billions that flow to the treasury and barely invested a fraction back. and instead of having a fund that can invest in all of our futures, the having a fund that can invest in all of ourfutures, the people having a fund that can invest in all of our futures, the people of this city, the people of aberdeen are having to fund raise, to fund raise, to rejuvenate the very heart of their city. union street is a silver

mile of scotland's energy capital, and therefore i can announce today that the scottish government will provide £1t00,000 to the campaign to rejuvenate union street. applause delegates, this is the latest in the transformation of scotland's it is weather here in aberdeen in union street and at saint james court in edinburgh, the ambition in glasgow, new life has been breathed into urban centres and in dundee, a city close to my heart, the snp will support the superb regeneration of the tissues gasworks into a new eden project, a beacon for regeneration and a beacon for green tourism. applause conference, the oil and gas industry

and most crucially our workers, here in the north—east, are absolutely vital to scotland's economy, and they will be for many years to come. but we also need to look to the future, so ourjust transition is notjust important for future, so ourjust transition is not just important for tackling future, so ourjust transition is notjust important for tackling the climate emergency and for that it absolutely is, but it's also huge economically as an opportunity. successful bidders for the offshore licensing round have indicated that there is a potentialfor £25 licensing round have indicated that there is a potential for £25 billion to be invested in the scottish supply chain over the lifetime of scotland. we can'tjust sit back and expect the opportunity to fall in our laps. we have to work with industry and we will work with industry and we will work with industry and we are determined to create it. i can therefore announce today that over the next five years the scottish government will invest

up the scottish government will invest up to £5 million to anchor a new offshore wind supply chain right here in scotland. applause a catalyst for additional private investment in ports and harbours, sporting inward investment and encouraging domestic companies to seek new opportunities. that is cutting emissions and creating sustainable jobs and sending a clear message to global investors that scotland means business. delegates. all of us, and each and every single one of us in this whole cares deeply about equality. and to the fellow men in the room, we all have a duty, men in the room, we all have a duty, me included to stand up and be counted, and abuse and violence

women suffer in society must be called out. i was proud to bejust women suffer in society must be called out. i was proud to be just a secretary when the domestic abuse act came into force. the conference there has so much more to do. it takes incredible courage for a survivor of domestic abuse to come forward to ask for help. but often women feel they cannot leave the abusive partner because they don't know how they will feed themselves or their children and they don't know how they will be able to put a roof over their heads. and i can only imagine how agonising that must be. and that's why today i can announce that we will pilot a new £500,000 fund to support women in the most distressing of circumstances. it's called the fund to leave and will be delivered by women's aid groups in the council areas with the highest number of women presenting as homeless due to the mystic abuse. women will receive up the mystic abuse. women will receive up to £1000 to help them pay for the

essentials that they and their children need, because with us in this role today say to any woman or survivor of domestic abuse that we stand with you. applause conference, our nation is rich in culture and the arts. culture is a reflection of who we are. it's also a reflection of who we hope to be as people. we don'tjust value culture and the arts for the economic impact they bring, we value them for their

own sake, for thejoy they bring, we value them for their own sake, for the joy they bring the world and, delegates, you heard exactly what a joy culture brings to young people earlier this afternoon when you are treated to a brilliant performance, and i can tell you they have more musical ability in their left pinky than i do in my whole body, but nonetheless i do want to send a clear signal today about my ambition for culture in scotland. we are notjust going to protect our arts funding and notjust increase it in line with inflation. no, delegates, we are going to go further and i can announce today that over the next five years we will invest and more than double our investment in scottish arts and culture. this means that by the end

of the five years our investment will be £100 million higher than it is today. this is a huge vote of confidence in the future of our culture sector and the vital work of bodies like screen scotland, creative scotland, and our festivals. politics is about choices and i choose to ensure that scottish arts are supported to grow at home and to be seen across the world. conference, the choices we make are driven by our principles and our convictions, our values. values that are not abstract but determine the practical policies that governments

pursue. and those policies can have a profound impact on all of our lives. so let me give you one example of our different and very different set of values held by the snp and at the tory party conference, the uk home secretary warned about what she described as a hurricane of migrants coming to the uk and other western countries. and when i hear that dog whistle language, it makes me shudder. and it makes me resolve to work even harder for independence so the scotland policies are decided here in scotland and our immigration policies can never be decided by extremist westminster politicians.

not only is the anti—migrant rhetoric morally wrong, it's also bad for our economy. 0ur migration, economy will be based on unfounded encore principles. and it will be welcoming and it will be internationalist and it will be compassionate. let me be clear. we will always speak out against the voices of extremism, against those who want if you are a culture war and when we secure independence, the hostile environment will be gone and it will be gone for good. applause cheering and applaise cheering and applause

friends, it says something about the modern day tory party that such rhetoric from the home secretary is seen as a pitch for the leadership. suella braverman most compassionate moment came when she stood on the tail of a guide dog at conference. but to be serious, the tory making the culture or their election strategy, you know what it says, it says that the tories know they are defeated. they are done, finished and good to them. that leaves labour, and when it comes to values, i've got absolutely no idea what keir starmer stands

for. applause when it comes to keir starmer, the closer he gets to downing street, the further he retreats from his principles. applause let me give you an example. 0nce let me give you an example. once upon a time keir starmer agreed with the snp that it was apparent to force women who have been raped to provide proof, proof before they could access child benefits. but now labour and sir keir starmer say they plan to apply tory policies like the rate clause, in their words, more fairly. delegates, the so—called rape clauses one of the coolest policies devised by the tory party,

the only thing to do with the rape to abolish it. —— rape clause is to abolish it. applause it will certainly have no place in an independent scotland and should not have any place in any modern civilised society. conference, the tories are finished. labour has abandoned its principles, but the snp will always stand by hours. and at our conference on sunday we decided, together on the process for winning our country's independence. this was a very important day, and if i can be so bold in a room full

of committed independence supporters, is not process arguments that will achieve our goal. around half of our fellow scots already support independence. and i have no doubt that we can turn that half into a sustained majority and we shall do so when we concentrate not on the howl, but the why. applause when we came together on sunday that we agreed that next election, line one page one of the manifesto will say vote snp for scotland to become independent country. applause and the reason that will be page one, line one of the manifesto is

because independence is about building a better scotland. independence is not simply an end in itself. it is inextricably linked to the cost of living crisis. it is about raising living standards, protecting our nhs. above all it's about a new well—being economy, an economy that works for the people, not the other way round. and on the economy, keir starmer says he wants growth, growth, growth. well, there's a huge problem with that because he also ports brexit, brexit, brexit. applause —— also supports. brexit cannot be made to work for scotland. it has been an unmitigated disaster, and with independence, we can escape the failed uk brexit based economy and

take our place for the very first time as a member state in our own right of the european union. applause we know that people have suffered because of westminster crashing the economy. we know the challenges that people are facing every day. but, delegates, we do not seek independence for scotland despite these challenges. we seek independence for scotland because of them. european countries that are like scotland are fairer and wealthier than the uk. ireland,

norway, denmark, austria, finland, and other comparable nations have higher national income per head than the uk. higher productivity, lower inequality. lower poverty, so with all of our talent and our world—class food and drink, world—class food and drink, world—class universities, world—class universities, world—class sectors like life sciences, video games, financial services and with an abundance of renewable energy and, conference, most importantly with our hard—working talented people as our greatest asset, i asked the question, why not scotland? applause cheering and applause

but we are doing more than campaigning to win our independence. we are preparing for independence. because we are building the institutions for delivery. since 2014, in government, we have set up a new social security system, a tax agency and the national investment bank. we've expanded our overseas network with new offices in berlin and copenhagen. and with brexit, westminster is isolating itself from the world. with the snp, to paraphrase winnie ewing, scotland is joining the world. friends, we are going to take further steps that will both provide direct benefits

under devolution and will also para—sport independence. the uk has a shocking record on capital investment. as first minister i am co—chair of the scottish government investment panel made up of a group of distinguished experts. they are challenging the scottish government to be bold, and that is why i am announcing our most ambitious proposal yet. announcing our most ambitious proposalyet. i announcing our most ambitious proposal yet. i can confirm. that is how ambitious it is. it has left me speechless. applause iam i am delighted to announce our most ambitious proposal yet. i can confirm that by the end of this parliament the snp government will, subject to due diligence and appropriate market testing, we will

go directly to the international bond market for the first time in our own right. cheering and applause to fund vital infrastructure, projects like affordable housing, we will issue scotland's first ever bond. applause this will bring scotland to the attention of investors right across the world and will raise our profile is a place where investment returns

can be made, and in doing so, we will show the world not only that we are a country to invest in today, we also demonstrate the credibility to international markets that we will need if we are going to become an independent country. delegates, the snp is delivering for the people of scotland down brick by brick institution by institution we are laying the foundation of what will be the new independence day. we are truly living in the early days of a better nation. applause then we need to show them that we have the answers to these questions. conference, when it comes to setting out our perspectives for a better scotland, we will be stepping up the pace. we have set out a macroeconomic framework detailing

currency policy, we have published plans for a written constitution that will provide recognition and protection for the nhs in scotland, giving the right to access a system of health care available free at the point of need. a constitution that recognises and protects employment rights, including the right to strike. and a constitution that most importantly would recognise that sovereignty will always sit with the people who live here, not with the house of commons and certainly not with the house of lords. and precisely because our plan for a new economy will be at the heart of our new independence prospectus, will shortly bring forward our plans for migration. we will set out our plans for industrial policy, show

how we can improve conditions for businesses