Image source, Getty Images

Nicola Sturgeon says that when the SNP last gathered in-person for a conference, the Tories had just elected Boris Johnson as leader.

"It took the Tories three years to realise Boris Johnson was a disaster," she says."With Liz Truss, it took them just three weeks."Sturgeon accuses the PM of causing mayhem in the markets with her decision to borrow billions of pounds to fund tax cuts for the richest.

Image source, Getty Images

The first minister says to the people of Ukraine: "We stand with you."

She says Ukraine is an inspiration to the world and it’s victory in the battle between democracy and tyranny is vital for all of us.

Initially Scotland committed to welcoming 3,000 people seeking refuge from the war, says Ms Sturgeon.

"I am pleased to say that we are now providing safety for more than 20,000."

Image source, Getty Images

The first minister points to what the current UK home secretary has said this about asylum seekers:

She quotes Suella Braverman: “I would love to be having a front page of The Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda, that’s my dream, it’s my obsession.”

Ms Sturgeon insists her dream is very different.

"My dream is that we live in a world where those fleeing violence and oppression are shown compassion and treated like human beings…

"Not shown the door and bundled on to planes like unwanted cargo."

Image source, Getty Images

Nicola Sturgeon says Scotland has got what it takes to be a successful independent country.

She says the current challenges of energy prices, inflation and the war in Ukraine can make it hard to see that a better future is possible.

Sturgeon adds the SNP has a duty to champion progressive values and universal rights but the UK government is intent on a different path.

The first minister says it is Scotland's duty to help oil and gas industry workers into new renewables jobs.

She says Aberdeen is the oil and gas capital of Europe and we must look to make it the net zero capital of the world.

Nicola Sturgeon begins by saying it is so good to be speaking at conference in person.

The first minister says it feels great to be back with Scotland's biggest party.

She jokes that she has had to trade her slippers for the heels she is wearing.

The first cheer is for when she mentions the SNP are running Aberdeen's council.

The first minister is on stage and about to start her much-anticipated speech.

Nicola Sturgeon is greeted by cheering and warm applause and she approaches the podium.

The news from Aberdeen is that the first minister is running about five minutes late.

Before Nicola Sturgeon speaks we have heard passionate speeches condemning Iran over the death of Mahsa Amini.

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Nicola Sturgeon’s speech is expected to include a hefty section on the economics of independence, which will also be the subject of a new paper in the days following conference.

The economy has always been viewed as a pivotal yet tricky issue in the debate over independence.

But amid market turmoil and UK government U-turns, we have arrived at the point where the SNP feels it might be a campaign asset rather than a challenge to overcome.

The worse the economic outlook under the present system, the more they can present independence as a sensible investment rather than a gamble.

There are still many difficult questions to answer, and there will be intense scrutiny of Ms Sturgeon's latest paper when it is eventually published.

But right now if a UK government minister were to ask the SNP leader what her currency plan is, she might feel she could ask them back: "What's yours?"

Image source, PA Media

There's less than five minutes until Nicola Sturgeon gets to her feet to deliver her keynote speech to conference.

Before then, here's a summary of what else is happening in the Aberdeen Arts Centre today:

• Delegates at the conference have backed raising the school starting age to six
• There are also plans for a statutory play-based kindergarten stage for three to six-year-olds
• Deputy First Minister John Swinney tells BBC News the people of Scotland have an appetite for indyref2
• Health Secretary Humza Yousaf calls for a more progressive drugs policy
• Yousaf also pledged to cement Anne's Law in the new National Care Service
• Shirley-Anne Somerville, the education secretary, stresses eliminating the poverty-related attainment gap is her priority
• A number of ministers have explained the first minister meant policies not people when she said "I detest the Tories"

SNP members have backed a motion to massively increase the level at which people start paying income tax.

The motion, which does not have to be adopted by the Scottish government, said those earning below the living wage should be lifted out of paying income tax.

Currently only those earning less than £12,570 pay no income tax but this could rise by thousands of pounds.

In order to raise the same amount of money, the tax burden on medium and higher earners would need to increase substantially.

Speaking to journalists after the motion was passed, Deputy First Minister John Swinney says: "The party has taken its conference decision about these points and obviously the government will reflect on those issues."

What did we learn from the Sturgeon interview?published at 14:59 British Summer Time 10 October 2022

14:59 BST 10 October 2022

Laura Kuenssberg
Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg

Image source, PA Media

After Covid, after Brexit, Nicola Sturgeon wants Scottish voters to turn their minds again to the independence question.

In the courts, her party is trying to get permission to hold another referendum. In politics, she is using every opportunity to make the most of the Tories' disarray to suggest that the risk of staying in the UK is greater than the many uncertainties of independence.

But when it comes to how she will make that happen, she herself this morning admitted that her options are "limited".

Despite her political dominance she does not have a sure-fire way of securing another vote, nor, if she wants to treat the next general election as a question on independence, does she have any guarantee that a future UK government would see it that way.

It's also true that there is a sizeable difference between the proportion of the public who want independence, and those who want a vote soon.

In short, there is no massive public clamour for a referendum on her timetable. And polls for years now have shown the public to be roughly split down the middle.

Nicola Sturgeon says no-one should be surprised by her views on the Conservatives.

And her counterpart in 10 Downing St hasn't held back either.

During the Tory leadership contest, Prime Minister Liz Truss accused Ms Sturgeon of being an "attention seeker" whose views on Scottish independence were best ignored.

And things don't appear to have got any less frosty since - with the first minister saying she has still not had a phone call with Ms Truss more than a month after she became PM.

Sturgeon remains in total control of her partypublished at 14:40 British Summer Time 10 October 2022

14:40 BST 10 October 2022

Philip Sim
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Image source, Reuters

After the febrile atmosphere of the Labour and Conservative conferences, the SNP’s gathering in Aberdeen has had a rather calmer feel to it.

One of those was a party desperate to build momentum and make a comeback from the wilderness; the other was a party desperate to hold on to power and wracked by internal dissent.

The SNP, meanwhile, remains fairly comfortable after 15 years in government.

Nicola Sturgeon is in total control of her party, with any internal critics having left to join the Alba Party under Alex Salmond.

And nobody is really expecting any surprises, because the first minister has already announced her strategy for independence.

She has set out plans A, B and C, which between them really cater for every element of the party’s membership. And with the Supreme Court case following on Tuesday, any knotty questions can be kicked down the road.

The only questions members have now is if and when her plans can be delivered.

Read more from Phil Sim at the conference here.

Humza Yousaf told delegates he wanted to break the cycle of poverty, substance abuse and the revolving door of people going in and out of services.

He added that he was "quite excited" for the chance of a post-independence Scotland being able to address "deep-rooted problems that we're trying to tackle but tackling with one hand tied behind our back".

Scotland has been struggling with high drug deaths in recent years, with 1,330 recorded in 2021.

Image source, Reuters

Back at the conference, Scotland's Health Secretary Humza Yousaf has reacted to reports that the UK Home Secretary is "receptive" to arguments that cannabis should be a class A drug.

Speaking during a panel discussion at the SNP conference, Yousaf called the policy regressive and dangerous.

He said one of the first things he would want to do in a newly-independent Scotland would be to implement a "progressive" approach to deal with the drugs crisis.

Elements of the Misuse of Drugs Act remain within the powers of Westminster, meaning any change made to the classification of drugs at the UK level would also be made in Scotland.

Cannabis is currently a class B drug but UK Home Secretary Suella Braverman is believed to be considering making it class A, the most serious category which is reserved for drugs such as crack cocaine, cocaine and heroin.

David Wallace Lockhart
BBC political correspondent

Aside from Nicola Sturgeon causing a bit of a stir when she said on TV that she “detests” the Tories, the SNP conference has been largely drama-free, and has run like a well-oiled machine.

While it’s been busier than any other party conference in Scotland could hope to be, it’s felt a bit quieter than previous in-person SNP events.

Some attendees have told me things have felt a bit flat in comparison to past conferences. The arena in Aberdeen is a vast, cavernous space. Train strikes over the past few days perhaps also haven’t helped the atmosphere.

Under SNP plans, the party wants to have an independence referendum this time next year. That all depends on the outcome of a Supreme Court case that starts this week.

But does this feel like a party membership that thinks it’s 12 months from a referendum? I wouldn’t say so.

That being said, the main event is yet to come. Nicola Sturgeon will address delegates this afternoon.

If anything can send activists home on a high, it’s a speech from their party leader.

The Supreme Court is examining the question of Holyrood's power to set up an independence referendum and will hear two days of arguments from 11 October.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon set out plans to hold a vote in October 2023. The move is opposed by the UK government.

BBC Scotland news political editor Glenn Campbell takes a look inside the Supreme Court and the key arguments likely to decide the fate of an indyref2.

Image source, Reuters

SNP president Michael Russell told the conference on Sunday that if the Supreme Court rules in favour of the Scottish government it will hold a referendum on independence on 19 October next year.

The court case will decide if the Scottish Parliament has the power to legislate for a referendum without the consent of the UK government.

Mr Russell, who is the director of its Independence Unit, went on to say that if the Supreme Court "fails the people of Scotland" the case will be put at the next general election - the so-called "de facto referendum" plan.

He told BBC Scotland the next election would be fought on the single of issue of whether Scotland should remain part of the United Kingdom or whether it should become independent.

Image source, PA Media

As we have been reporting, from Tuesday the UK Supreme Court is to hear evidence on the Scottish government's plans for an independence referendum after Nicola Sturgeon set out plans to hold a vote in October 2023.

What are the key arguments likely to be heard in court, and will they decide the fate of indyref2 once and for all?

Our political correspondent Philip Sim has more.