Mr Swinney said there “could be no clearer sign” that “Westminster’s time is up”. Mr Swinney said his party now “need to do the same again”. It came as Mr Swinney set out to win the votes of working parents with a “transformational” extension of free childcare. This help would be available to parents 52 weeks a year, Mr Swinney pledged, and would be “backed by over £0.5 billion of new investment”. “Our new approach will mean families benefit from between £1,400 up to over £11,000 dependent on need,” Mr Swinney said.

Source: The Herald March 14, 2026 23:49 UTC