“On behalf of the Scottish Labour party I offer John Swinney my sincerest congratulations on being nominated as Scotland’s next first minister,” begins Anas Sarwar.
The Scottish Labour leader sends John Swinney’s wife, Elizabeth, and family, who are in the gallery “our best wishes and love”.
He points out that the political disagreements between himself and Swinney are many.
Sarwar argues that the SNP have been “one of the architects of divisive politics”, so he doubts they will now be the unifiers of the nation.
“I fear this election is more about managing the SNP than delivering for Scotland,” he says.
He calls for a “change of direction” and an “end to the incompetence in managing our public services”.
“Continuity won’t cut it,” he says.
