First Minister

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 17 May 2016.

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Photo of Nicola Sturgeon Nicola Sturgeon Scottish National Party

Thank you very much, Presiding Officer.

I begin by thanking Willie Rennie for his candidacy. I was delighted to hear that I start today with the full support of Willie Rennie’s son. As Willie Rennie provided some of what I can only describe as the most colourful imagery of the election campaign, it is only right that we heard from him today.

Willie Rennie and I chatted earlier about what we might do if the vote ended up in a tie. We decided that we would settle matters with a race down a giant inflatable slide—that is an incentive to ensure that it does not happen.

Seriously, if I am elected today as the Parliament’s nominee for First Minister, I will look forward very much to working with Willie Rennie and, indeed, colleagues across the chamber as, collectively over the next five years, we confront the challenges and harness the massive opportunities that our country has.

Today, I am asking MSPs across the chamber to support my nomination for First Minister. Since Parliament first elected me to that position back in the autumn of 2014, I have worked hard to repay that support. Eighteen months on, I am a little bit older and a lot wiser. The experience of being First Minister has made me more acutely aware of the challenges that our nation faces, but even more aware of our vast potential. The challenge for me and for all of us is to harness that potential for the good of our country and those of us who are lucky enough to live here.

During the election campaign, I said that closing the attainment gap in education would be the defining mission of a Scottish Government that is led by me. I look forward to working across the chamber to ensure that that is the mission of not just Government, but Parliament as a whole.

The economy and jobs will also be at the top of my list of priorities—that is reflected in my intention to create a new dedicated cabinet secretary post with responsibility for the economy.

With new powers coming to this Parliament, the responsibility placed on us and, in particular, on the First Minister is greater than ever before, but that is a responsibility that I am ready and eager to seize with both hands.

During the election campaign I described the SNP manifesto as my application for the job of First Minister, and the election allowed the people of Scotland to deliver their verdict. The SNP increased its constituency vote share, we won a record number of constituency seats, and we became the first party in the devolution era to secure more than 1 million constituency votes, so there is no doubt that the SNP has a mandate to govern and that I have a mandate to continue as the First Minister of our country. I hope that Parliament will recognise that clear mandate today.

I have also made clear my intention to lead an inclusive Government. Being an inclusive, open and outward-looking Government is, of course, about much more than what happens here in this parliamentary chamber, but there is no doubt that it starts here in this chamber. I have already made suggestions to strengthen Parliament’s scrutiny of the First Minister. I would like to see more time allocated to the weekly session of First Minister’s question time to ensure that back benchers are given more opportunity to ask questions. As First Minister, I would welcome the opportunity—“welcome” is perhaps not the right word; I would embrace the opportunity—to appear more often before the Parliament’s committee conveners. The proposals might in themselves be relatively minor, but I hope that they serve as an indication of the tone that I want to set in the Scottish Parliament’s fifth session.

I firmly and passionately believe that there should be no limit to our ambitions for our national Parliament or our nation. If I am successful today, the First Minister’s door will always be open to people across and outside the chamber with constructive ideas to make Scotland the prosperous, fair country that we all know that it can be. I will work every day to serve this country to the very best of my ability.