The first minister begins by saying today is the first time that he has presented a Programme for Government and adds "it is an extraordinary privilege to do so".

John Swinney says he believes Scotland would best be able to progress as an independent country.

He tells the chamber "fundamentally we are all here to contribute to creating the best future we can for Scotland".

Swinney pledges to work with other parties to make progress and commits to work across the chamber to seek common ground with others.

David Henderson
BBC Scotland Correspondent

Scotland's economy has been pretty sluggish in recent years, with little growth, stagnant wages and a cost of living crisis.

So business groups say the Scottish government must deliver a pro-growth Programme for Government.

Salmon Scotland, the trade body which speaks for the UK's biggest food export, is urging John Swinney to cut the red tape which they say hampers Scotland's "blue economy".

The Scottish Retail Consortium, urges the first minister not to impose more regulations which, they say, make high streets struggle.

They're thinking of things like the ill-fated Deposit Return Scheme.

What are they getting at?

While the Greens were in government, some were concerned that economic growth was no longer a priority.

Others worried that Humza Yousaf's push for a "wellbeing economy" was vague and meaningless.

The SNP’s new leader, John Swinney has said out loud he wants a wealthier Scotland and economic growth.

So the tone has changed - but will policies change, too?

John Swinney has arrived in the chamber of the Scottish Parliament and will begin his speech shortly.

The first minister’s statement on the Programme for Government is due to begin at about 14:50.

School visit hints at focus of Swinney's statementpublished at 14:41 British Summer Time 4 September

14:41 BST 4 September

Kirsten Campbell
BBC Scotland political correspondent

You can usually tell the focus of a parliamentary statement by the visit the relevant minister does beforehand.

This morning First Minister John Swinney went to Castlebrae Community High School in Edinburgh to meet staff and students who've taken part in the Rite to Work programme, which supports pupils into positive destinations after school.

WorkingRite helps youngsters who aren't engaged academically, and might otherwise end up in the criminal justice system or on benefits, to find work placements in their local community, where they learn valuable skills on the job.

The project provides a practical pathway to a job or apprenticeship, and speaks to two of the Scottish government's priorities - tackling child poverty and growing the economy.

Image source, PA Media

Earlier Finance Secretary Shona Robison told the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme why the £500m of cuts to public services was needed.

She firstly pointed to Chancellor Rachel Reeves' statement in July, which outlined how budgets for public services in 2024-25 are going to be £15bn less because they have not been reset to account for inflation.

Robison continued: "Second, the lack off fiscal levers - so when the new Labour government accepted the UK pay review body recommendations, and we don't dispute the principle of doing so, there is no certainty about those being fully funded. In fact part of them have to be funded through departmental cuts.

"That is an £800m pressure that I had to act to deal with."

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has accused the SNP of ripping up its flagship pledges and called for an end to “17 years of broken promises”.

He said: “NHS waiting lists are at a record high, the attainment gap is widening in our schools, our justice system is at breaking point and SNP financial chaos means more cuts are looming."

Scottish Conservative finance spokesperson Liz Smith said the independent Scottish Fiscal Commission had made "abundantly clear" that much of the financial pressure came from the Scottish government's own decisions.

She said Scotland was losing out on £624m in revenue because its economy is growing at a slower rate than the UK as whole.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said Mr Swinney’s party had “repeatedly” taken Scotland for granted.

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said it was Mr Swinney's "last chance" to save his government's climate credentials.

“We need to see a clear commitment to our environment," she said.

Scotland's struggle to tackle poverty while cutting servicespublished at 14:28 British Summer Time 4 September

14:28 BST 4 September

James Cook
Scotland editor

Less than four miles from the Scottish Parliament, workers at a community centre in Edinburgh are handing out free bread to help the residents of Muirhouse make ends meet.

That is the reality facing a Scottish government which says its central aim is eradicating child poverty, a task arguably made harder by the spending cuts it announced this week.

First Minister John Swinney now faces the tricky task of setting out a programme for government, 24 hours after his finance secretary Shona Robison wielded the axe on many of that government's programmes.

Her statement marked the third year in a row of emergency cuts to public spending being announced - not for the future but during the year, meaning her axe falling on programmes already in swing.

Labour blame SNP incompetence, saying Swinney's administration made £800m of public sector pay offers without knowing where it would find the money.

That figure may yet rise after the Unison trade union rejected a pay offer for bin collectors and some education staff.

The independent Scottish Fiscal Commission agrees that much of the budgetary pressure is a result of the Scottish government's own decisions, external, including freezing council tax and raising public sector pay.

State funding of university tuition, personal care for the elderly, and NHS prescriptions also remain expensive policy choices.

Continue reading James Cook's analysis here.

Image source, PA Media

The Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) says low income families in Scotland will be £28,000 better off by the time their child turns 18, compared to others across the UK.

CPAG’s Scottish director, John Dickie, said progress had been made on tackling child poverty, but that greater investment in public services was needed to hit the statutory targets.

The Scottish government has a legal target to reduce the rate of child poverty below 18% by the end of the financial year.

Mr Dickie said: “The tough reality facing government and opposition alike is that there is no credible route to eradicating child poverty that doesn’t involve further serious investment in social security, childcare, affordable family housing and action to support parents access decent jobs.

“More can and must be done to reform public services so that hard up families can access them, but those services need to be available and adequately funded in the first place.”

Swinney's chance to set out his stallpublished at 14:23 British Summer Time 4 September

14:23 BST 4 September

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

It can feel like John Swinney has been first minister for ages, given a whole election campaign has come and gone since he took office.

But this is really his introduction to Holyrood as first minister, and his chance to set out his stall.

It could also be a chance to reset the record for the SNP following the damaging results of that election.

But it won’t be easy for Mr Swinney.

There’s obviously a difficult financial context, after Shona Robison announced half a billion pounds worth of cuts yesterday.

There are acute political challenges too. Mr Swinney is running a minority administration, and his most regular partners in the Scottish Greens are furious about the budget cuts and the end of the Bute House Agreement.

If the government proposes particularly bold reforms, it might face a fight to get them through parliament.

So far John Swinney has said he is "optimistic" about improvements for children and has pointed to the government's track record - policies such as the Scottish Child Payment and expansion of early learning and childcare.

He said: “Even as we face unprecedented budgetary constraints, I am optimistic that we can still greatly enhance the lives of children and their families.

“No one's opportunities should be determined by the circumstances they are born into, which is why this year's Programme for Government will prioritise measures focused on our single greatest priority of eradicating child poverty.

"This government's policies are estimated to keep 100,000 children out of relative poverty this year."

Campaigners said the “scale and pace” of the action on lifting young people out of poverty has “not been nearly enough”.

• Scotland's fiscal outlook messy and 'painful'

Image source, PA Media

John Swinney believes the Scottish government can still “enhance the lives of children and their families” as he prepares to set out its spending plans for the next 12 months.

The first minister’s inaugural Programme for Government will make eradicating child poverty its “single greatest priority”.

The latest figures show that 26% of children are living in relative poverty in Scotland, despite targets to reduce that number below 18% by the end of the current financial year.

As we've been reporting, it comes after Swinney’s Finance Secretary Shona Robison, announced a £500m package of cuts in order to balance the government’s books.

Read more here

Angus Cochrane
BBC Scotland News

Finance Secretary Shona Robison announced up to £500m of cuts to balance the government's budget yesterday afternoon.

Robison told parliament the country was facing "enormous and growing" financial pressure, including additional costs of £800m in this financial year.

She cited public sector pay deals, "prolonged" Westminster austerity, inflation, the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

As well as direct cuts, including to mental health services, the government will reallocate up to £460m raised in an auction of seabed plots for offshore projects - cash that was previously earmarked to tackle the climate crisis.

The finance secretary, who announced a total of £933m in measures to balance the budget, told parliament: "We cannot ignore the severe financial challenges we face."

Read more here

Image source, PA

Good afternoon and welcome to our live coverage of John Swinney's first Programme for Government as first minister.

He is expected to begin his statement in Holyrood from 14:50 this afternoon.

We'll bring you extensive coverage of his spending plans and analysis from our correspondents throughout.

You can watch the statement by clicking on the play icon at the top of this page.