All aboard! John Swinney has blown the whistle. His election campaign has left the station. But will it reach the destination he has in mind, or ultimately hit the buffers?
The First Minister’s Programme for Government statement at Holyrood earlier today was peppered with references to the direction he believes he is taking Scotland.
He said a “corner is being turned” and, more than once, that his programme for the next 12 months will get the nation “on track”.
Keeping with the theme, one of the most eye-catching announcements in the statement was the permanent ending of peak rail fares, following a previous pilot which ended in September last year.
It is a simple measure, designed to “put more money in people’s pockets”, Mr Swinney said, while meaning “less CO2 is pumped into our skies”.
Another announcement grabbing the headlines was a pledge to end the “8am lottery” system people encounter while trying to make an appointment with a GP, including through the creation of 100,000 extra appointments.
While Mr Swinney undoubtedly had an eye on a May 2026 Scottish election with these promises, and others, he also had more than a glance down the road to Westminster, and across the Atlantic to the White House.
“Times are tough and times are changing, in ways that I know bring real anxiety to our citizens, real fear to many in our business community,” he said.
Against the backdrop of the uncertainty unleashed by Donald Trump’s tariffs, the First Minister said the Government would work with Scottish Development International across its 34 international offices to deliver a new six-point Export Plan.
Calum Ross, Senior Advisor, True North Advisors
This will include more support for SMEs to participate in trade missions in both established and emerging markets, additional grant funding to help companies unlock specific, targeted international growth, and bespoke support in key sectors such as technology, life sciences, renewables and hydrogen, to maximise international opportunities.
A new Proof of Concept fund, with a focus on supporting the commercialisation of research projects with significant economic potential, will also be developed, alongside an improved Ecosystem fund to boost the start-up environment.
On Carbon Capture and Storage, Mr Swinney issued a challenge to the UK Government at Westminster by promising to increase the Scottish Government’s investment in the Acorn project, beyond the current cap of £80million, if it is given the go-ahead.
It was a noticeably slimmed down Programme for Government, perhaps revealing a strategy of doing less, but better.
The focus will be on delivery over the coming year, following much criticism from opponents that the administration has overpromised and underdelivered.
Mr Swinney and his deputy, Kate Forbes, have received credit for stabilising the Government since Humza Yousaf’s departure a year ago, giving their party a realistic opportunity of extending its era in power into a third decade.
It is a remarkable turnaround, given where their party previously found itself in the polls.
However, this change in fortunes has been as much a result of the troubles of the SNP’s rivals as anything he has achieved to date, with Scottish Labour inexorably tied to Sir Keir Starmer’s underwhelming administration at Westminster, and the Scottish Tories at risk of haemorrhaging votes to Reform UK.
With his Programme for Government, the First Minister has set his course for the next 12 months. He will have to wait to find out where it takes him.