‘We don’t need to be trapped in Brexit Britain’: Emotional John Swinney says he’ll deliver Scottish independence for teenage son

John Swinney closed the SNP’s annual conference by pledging to pursue Scottish independence, saying he wants his teenage son Matthew to grow up in a better country. The emotional appeal placed his personal reasons for independence at the centre of a speech focused on Scotland’s constitutional future, in which he said Scotland was ready for statehood.

Swinney also announced a proposed offence covering harassment and abuse based on misogyny, a £1 million fund for schools and a three-year, £30 million fund for community groups tackling racism. He said the SNP would begin its most sophisticated independence campaign yet, backed by a six-figure budget. Other pledges included extending the £2 bus fare cap to Aberdeen and the north east next April, and bringing Scotland’s bus network under public control before the 2031 Holyrood election.