John Swinney will today pledge a “national project of renewal” to overhaul Scotland’s public services, warning that the status quo is no longer good enough.
In what the Scottish Government has described as a “major speech”, the First Minister will tell leaders from across the NHS, education, local government, justice and the third sector that long-term reform is needed to meet the country’s looming demographic and economic challenges.
It is the first of two speeches to be delivered by Mr Swinney, with the SNP leader also due to address the Scotland 2050 Conference in Edinburgh on Tuesday, where he will argue that Scottish independence is key to achieving Scotland’s long-term ambitions.
Last week, The Herald revealed that senior SNP activists had warned the First Minister he had two weeks to devise a new independence strategy, or face a potential leadership challenge at the party's conference in October.
Discontent has also been simmering among MSPs, with reports of a “fractious” group meeting at Holyrood last Tuesday.
READ MORE
- Thousands of jobs lost to Scotland because of SNP nuclear opposition, says minister
- Liam Gallagher slams Edinburgh Council after officials call Oasis fans fat and drunk
- Nicola Sturgeon accuses actor of misogyny after he calls her ‘a witch’
In his speech at the Imaging Centre of Excellence at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, the First Minister is expected to say: “This changing world requires a fundamental change in how we operate.
"The status quo — across almost every field of endeavour — is no longer sufficient, it no longer serves us well enough.
“Public services first built in and for the 20th century must become rooted instead in the realities of the 21st. Our public realm reshaped; our nation renewed and reborn for this new age.
“The Scotland I seek is modern and dynamic; it is an enterprising, compassionate, forward-looking nation that is well placed to ride the waves of change rather than being buffeted by them, rather than being overwhelmed by them.
“A Scotland where tomorrow is better than today because, together, we have made it so.
“It means public services too that are modern, accessible, flexible, responsive and seamless. Services capable of responding to life’s crises as well as to life’s everyday. Services that are robust and creative in response to all the challenges — fiscal, climate, demographic — that are coming our way.”
The scale of Scotland’s demographic challenge was underlined last week when new figures from the National Records of Scotland showed the number of babies born between January and March was 3.9% below the seasonal average.
Just 11,431 births were registered in the first quarter of 2025, compared to a five-year average of 11,891 for the same period.
The birth rate now stands at 8.4 per 1,000 people, continuing a long-term decline.
The latest figures also show a notable fall in mortality. A total of 16,721 deaths were registered in the first quarter of the year — 7.7% below the expected number of 18,123.
In a recent report, the Scottish Fiscal Commission warned that these demographic pressures would place “significant pressures” on Scotland’s public finances.
The watchdog said health — the largest area of Scottish Government spending — is expected to grow faster than any other part of the budget due to these shifts and rising demand.
According to the latest ONS projections, the number of Scots aged 85 and over is set to nearly double by 2050.
The Commission’s chair, Professor Graeme Roy, said improving the underlying health of the population “would lead to benefits to the public finances through lower spending and higher tax revenues and help to address the long‑term fiscal sustainability challenges.”
Share