Anas Sarwar urges SNP voters to back Labour as Nicola Sturgeon quits
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Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has delivered his keynote address at his party's conference
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has urged SNP voters to back him after First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced she is resigning.
Mr Sarwar told his party conference in Edinburgh it was time for change at Holyrood and Westminster.
He also outlined plans to improve the economy, health service and housing in Scotland, including a £1 homes scheme.
It comes in the same week Ms Sturgeon announced she would step down after eight years as first minister.
Mr Sarwar told party delegates that a change in government was required in both Scotland and the UK, and said any vote for the SNP or Conservatives was "a vote to block change".
"For a generation of Scots, all they have lived through is a nationalist government," he said.
"There is a risk that people start believing that this is as good as it gets. That all government can do is manage decline.
"But governments have an amazing opportunity to be bold and to change the country - if they have the political will and ambition to do so."
'Desire for change'
Mr Sarwar also made a direct appeal to former SNP voters, saying he understood their "desire for change".
He added: "So let's come together and boot the Tories out of Downing Street. Because that's the change Scotland needs."
The Scottish Labour leader said Ms Sturgeon's 20-year career at the pinnacle of Scottish politics was an "incredible achievement" despite their "profound disagreements".
"In fact, the first time I met Nicola was when she stood against my Dad and I was just 12-years-old," he told the conference. "Although I'm not sure she'll appreciate that reminder.
"In the weeks ahead, the SNP will only be talking to themselves, about themselves.
"But our country, now more than ever, requires politicians focused on delivering the change Scotland needs."
Ms Sturgeon's announcement that she was standing down has shocked Scottish politics
Mr Sarwar went on to outline his vision to boost growth in the economy, cut energy bills, improve NHS performance and create more affordable housing.
He branded his party "pro-business, pro-growth" which would change the UK's relationship with the EU because "Brexit has had a negative impact on the UK economy".
The Scottish Labour leader vowed to "streamline" Scotland's NHS by cutting the number of health boards.
"We have a top-down, bloated, manager-heavy, unaccountable suffocation of the dedicated NHS workforce," he said.
Mr Sarwar said improving the NHS was one of the biggest challenges facing Scotland
"We need fewer chief executives, more doctors. Fewer managers, more nurses."
He said under UK-wide Labour plans, 1.3 million houses in Scotland would be retrofitted to be made more energy efficient, with homes saving up to £1,400 per year on their energy bills.
Mr Sarwar backed the creation of a publicly-owned energy generation company, Great British Energy. Scottish Labour, he said, was developing a Scottish arm of the firm, including hydrogen and wind production, as well as carbon capture.
"We will ensure that Labour's promised green investment plans build up Scottish supply chains, partnering with the industry here to create Scottish jobs and reduce Scottish bills," the conference was told.
The Scottish Labour leader also unveiled a scheme to sell Scotland's long-term empty homes, of which he said there are 27,000, for just £1. He said buyers would be given a government-backed loan "to transform them into homes that will be lived in and loved".
Scottish Labour's annual conference runs from Friday until Sunday.
As the Edinburgh event began, Mr Sarwar told Good Morning Scotland Ms Sturgeon's departure was an opportunity for Scottish Labour.
He added: "I'm focused on winning people's trust on our own merits, rather than hoping that disaster falls upon our opponents."
Mr Sarwar's speech came after SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn accused Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer of turning his party into a "poundshop Tory tribute act that backs Brexit, denies Scottish democracy, and wants to impose Tory cuts and creeping privatisation".
He said "At the next general election, the SNP will be the only party in Scotland offering real change with independence - and the only party that can be trusted to stand up for Scotland in the face of Westminster control."
In response to Mr Sarwar's address, Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said: "Anas Sarwar is taking voters for fools if he expects them to swallow his claim that Labour will stand up to the SNP and protect the union."
He added: "The truth is Anas Sarwar's party vote with the SNP 90% of the time, while naively touting more constitutional concessions in a doomed bid to placate them. He has been gushing in his praise for Nicola Sturgeon, instead of calling out her record of failure."