First Minister puts children at the top of the government agenda

Eradicating child poverty is the Scottish Government’s “first and foremost priority,” said First Minister John Swinney as he announced his spending plans for next year.

His first government programme came after his finance minister announced cuts of £500 million.

Although Mr Swinney said his government faced “incredibly difficult” financial conditions, he pledged to invest £1 billion in childcare, tackle the backlog in the NHS and reform the public service.

The SNP leader made a U-turn on cutting arts funding, promised new rent controls to protect tenants and vowed to strengthen the ministerial code.

Mr Swinney said the proposals would be “affordable, effective and implementable”.

He told MSPs: “Together they reflect my optimism that, although we face an incredibly difficult situation at the moment, the inherent strengths of Scotland, our people and our communities can create great opportunities for our country.”

The government announced the introduction of 14 new bills – including legislative proposals on climate change, building safety, misogyny, the natural environment and education reform.