Reeves vows Labour will bring ‘good jobs’ to Scotland

Earlier, First Minister John Swinney called for talks with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer to discuss “shared goals” on child poverty.

He said: “The Tories are finished, so Labour has an opportunity to deliver a Westminster reset on tackling child poverty.

“They now need to commit to it.”

Mr Swinney, who was visiting a nursery in Edinburgh, added: “What we’ve got to focus on is that we generate the wealth in our society that we can invest in our public services and help us to eradicate child poverty.

“That’s the central mission of my government.”

Meanwhile, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, campaigning at Prestwick Airport, said his party was also prioritising economic growth.

He said UK government cuts in National Insurance had “put more money into people’s pockets to be able to spend in the local economy”.

“That’s in stark contrast to what we’ve seen here in Scotland, with the SNP making Scotland the highest taxed part of the country.”

People who earn more than £28,850 in Scotland – slightly above median earnings – pay more income tax than they would elsewhere in the UK, with those earning less than that amount paying slightly less.

The Scottish government said its “progressive” tax regime will allow it to raise about £1.5bn more than if it still had UK income tax rates.

Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said his party would target the “intrinsic link” between health and the economy by cutting NHS waiting lists and helping people back to work.

“There is an absolute impact on economic growth from the one in seven Scots who are languishing on NHS waiting lists, the 177,000 people who have long Covid in this country who are not being helped by the Scottish government.

“They can’t work, they can’t grow the economy,” he told BBC Scotland News.