Independence is the fresh start Scotland needs.

The First Minister delivered this speech in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery on the 8th of October 2025.

Good morning everyone.

National Galleries Scotland describes the gallery we are in today as a “love letter to Scotland” with the art on display telling stories of our land and our people.

Wherever we stand on the question of independence I know everyone in this debate loves this beautiful country.

Where we differ is over what we believe is the best future for Scotland.

One future is to stick with Westminster.

The other is to take our future into our own hands.

Last month the Scottish Government set out the long-held principle that the United Kingdom is a voluntary union of nations and that people in Scotland have the right to decide their own future.

I have set out the route we need to take for Scotland to become an independent country: to give life and effect to that principle.

And today the Scottish Government is setting out the why of independence; why we believe a better Scotland can be built by becoming an equal, independent nation state.

We are therefore publishing this document: “A Fresh Start with Independence.”

Alongside the main document, the government is publishing a technical paper looking at the macroeconomic framework of an independent Scotland.

Given the direction Westminster is intent on taking Scotland, day by day the need for people in Scotland to consider an alternative future is becoming more and more pressing.

Indeed, I believe it is urgent and essential.

The prospect of Nigel Farage becoming Prime Minister is a very real one.

But even if Farage does not make it to Number 10, he is driving the agenda at Westminster evermore to the right.

I believe with all my head and all my heart that cannot be the best future for Scotland.

That rightward shift at Westminster is one of the obvious factors that have changed since the people of Scotland last considered this question in 2014.

Others include the disaster of Brexit, the huge rise in energy bills, the pursuit of a migration policy which is damaging to our National Health Service and our economy.

But perhaps above all else, it is that living standards for far too many people in the UK and in Scotland have ground to a halt.

In that crucial respect – of providing rising living standards – the UK and Westminster have failed.   

Given that failure I have a duty, a responsibility, to set out an alternative.

I believe a better future is possible.

Today’s paper sets out why independence is that better future.

Fundamentally it shows decisions about Scotland being taken in Scotland – the very essence of self-government – works for the people who live here.  

Prescriptions are free.

There’s been a huge expansion in early learning and childcare.

Child poverty in Scotland is falling because of measures such as the Scottish Child Payment.

And we’re helping with the cost of living through policies such as free bus travel for people under the age of 22 and the abolition of peak rail fares.

The Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition before us – in exercising self-government – brought in free personal care for the elderly; they introduced the smoking ban; and one of my predecessors, Jack McConnell, recognised the specific population challenge we have in Scotland and tried to do something about it.

On that latter point the new UK Labour government unfortunately refuses to accept, let alone take action, on the need for an immigration policy tailored to the needs of Scotland.

So times have changed.

But the critical bigger point is this: self-government works for the people of Scotland.

That will be a major theme as we press the case for Scottish independence.

And just as self-government in the context of the Scottish Parliament works, the benefits of full-self-government for independent European countries of Scotland’s size are also clear.

I know that far too many people in Scotland are struggling to get by.

Life should be – and can be – better and more secure.

Comparable countries to Scotland, like Denmark and Ireland, are wealthier than the UK.

They are fairer than the UK.

They have higher levels of investment.

And they are more productive.

Those countries pursue a variety of policies depending on their circumstances and political cultures.

But the common thread is this: they enjoy the golden combination of independence and EU membership.

That’s enabled those countries to flourish.

So today’s paper sets out the trade diversification strategy of Ireland, enabled by being part of the EU Single Market, and which has led to an economic transformation.

The paper sets out the social partnership model of Denmark and the way that Denmark and other Scandinavian countries have managed to build so-called “Nordic giants”. Those are home grown and headquartered Nordic multinational firms.

There are valuable lessons here for Scotland.

Looking to the future there is much to be optimistic about if we too could take advantage of that golden combination of independence and EU membership.

We have extraordinary energy resources.

World-class universities.

A talented and educated population.

We’re renowned for our success in industries as diverse as food and drink and computer gaming.

With the correct policy framework as we embark on building a nation state in Scotland there is every reason to believe we can match the high productivity, high living standards societies of our neighbours in north-western Europe.

The opportunity of Scottish independence is the opportunity of higher living standards.

Today’s paper sets out, therefore not just the why of independence, but how a better future as a nation state can practically be achieved. 

So, as the urgency and necessity of independence is now clearer, it is these themes that we will take to the people of Scotland:

The benefits of self-government.

The huge potential that is all around us.

The evidence that independence for countries like Scotland leads to higher living standards and greater equality.

And therefore the transformational impact that placing our future into our own hands can have on this and future generations.

I look forward to the debate and to your questions this morning.

The latest independence paper can be found here: https://www.gov.scot/publications/fresh-start-independence/