:00:00. > :00:20.but as a matter of general principle...
:00:21. > :00:34.Hello, everybody. It is fantastic to be here in Queensferry today. Today
:00:35. > :00:42.is a very special day for the SNP. Exactly ten years ago today, the
:00:43. > :00:53.first-ever SNP Government took office in Scotland. And over these
:00:54. > :00:58.past ten years, we have worked each and every day to make Scotland a
:00:59. > :01:05.better country and we have made real progress to be proud of. Today, our
:01:06. > :01:11.NHS budget is at record levels. It is ?3 billion higher today than it
:01:12. > :01:17.was when we took office. Today, there are 12,000 more people working
:01:18. > :01:24.in our NHS and we abolished prescription charges, removing the
:01:25. > :01:28.tax on ill-health. APPLAUSE
:01:29. > :01:32.We have done what previous administrations failed to do,
:01:33. > :01:38.integrate health and social care and today, our Accident Emergency
:01:39. > :01:42.departments across our country are the best performing anywhere in the
:01:43. > :01:49.United Kingdom. On education, we have extended free childcare from
:01:50. > :01:53.12.5 hours per week to 16 hours a week and over the next few years, we
:01:54. > :01:59.will extend it further to 30 hours a week. In our schools, we see record
:02:00. > :02:03.exam passes by our young people and now we are investing in a new pupil
:02:04. > :02:09.equity fund to drive up standards in our schools even further. And I am
:02:10. > :02:17.proud to say that we have kept university tuition free of tuition
:02:18. > :02:23.fees. Today, in Scotland, just as it was when I was so fortunate enough
:02:24. > :02:27.as a young person to go to university, your ability to go to
:02:28. > :02:32.university is based on your ability to learn, not on your ability to pay
:02:33. > :02:34.and the SNP will always keep university access free of tuition
:02:35. > :02:48.fees. We have maintained the number of
:02:49. > :02:55.police officers on our streets and as a result, we now see crime act at
:02:56. > :02:59.42 year low. We have restored Council house building and built
:03:00. > :03:06.more than 60,000 affordable homes across our country. We have
:03:07. > :03:10.protected people from Tory policies like the Bedroom Tax. We set up a
:03:11. > :03:17.Scottish welfare fund to protect people from the worst impacts of
:03:18. > :03:22.Tory cuts to social security. We said world leading climate change
:03:23. > :03:29.targets and we have met them six years ahead of schedule. We gave
:03:30. > :03:33.votes to 16 and 17-year-olds for the Scottish parliament and Council
:03:34. > :03:40.elections. In so many ways, we have made so much progress to be proud
:03:41. > :03:44.of. Now, I know we're not perfect. We haven't got everything right and
:03:45. > :03:50.there is so much more work still to do, work to grow our economy, to get
:03:51. > :03:55.more people into employment and drive up standards in our schools
:03:56. > :03:58.even further. But we can be proud in Scotland that when it comes to
:03:59. > :04:06.progressive policies, we are leading the UK. Labour launched its own
:04:07. > :04:10.manifesto this morning and many of the policies in Labour's manifesto
:04:11. > :04:20.will seem very familiar in Scotland. Free tuition, an end to the Bedroom
:04:21. > :04:25.Tax, climate change targets, getting rid of NHS parking charges. They
:04:26. > :04:29.seem familiar policies in Scotland for a very good reason. The SNP
:04:30. > :04:34.Government has already delivered all of them in Scotland.
:04:35. > :04:44.And even the Tories, who spent the past ten years criticising council
:04:45. > :04:48.house building and criticising free prescriptions, have now changed
:04:49. > :04:53.their tune, albeit belatedly and with not very much credibility. So
:04:54. > :04:59.we are making progress and we are leading the UK in progressive
:05:00. > :05:03.policies. My message today is this - we must resolve to keep Scotland
:05:04. > :05:11.moving forward and in this election, it is vital that we elect strong SNP
:05:12. > :05:15.MPs who will stand up for Scotland and protect Scotland's interests at
:05:16. > :05:22.Westminster. We know the biggest risk to Scotland in the years ahead
:05:23. > :05:27.is an increasingly hardline Tory Government, intent on more
:05:28. > :05:32.just on Brexit but the most extreme just on Brexit but the most extreme
:05:33. > :05:36.form of Brexit possible. So we need to make sure that after this
:05:37. > :05:42.election is, Scotland's voice is heard loudly and clearly. It is more
:05:43. > :05:48.important than it has ever been before. And's voice to be heard, for
:05:49. > :05:54.MPs from Scotland to stand up for Scotland and protect our interest.
:05:55. > :05:59.So the message is clear, Tory MPs will be rubber-stamped for whatever
:06:00. > :06:04.Theresa May wants to do. SNP MPs will be there to stand up for
:06:05. > :06:08.Scotland and protect our interests. The SNP is stronger than Scotland.
:06:09. > :06:13.We always have been and we always will be. Let's get out there and win
:06:14. > :06:19.this election the Scotland. CHEERING
:06:20. > :07:02.I think professional sport is looking strong in Newport at the
:07:03. > :07:05.moment and I wondered if you would join me in paying tribute to all of
:07:06. > :07:06.those