SNP HAS NOTHING LEFT TO OFFER - ANAS SARWAR SCOTTISH LABOUR LEADER

I'm making a direct appeal to SNP voters.. only Labour can deliver the change Scotland needs

IT has been an unexpected week in Scottish politics.

Nicola Sturgeon has been at the forefront of public life in Scotland for more than 20 years.

Despite our profound disagreements, that is an incredible achievement.

In fact, the first time we met was when she was standing against my Dad and I was just 12 years old.

Although I'm not sure she'll appreciate that reminder, it is testament to the service that she has given Scotland.

No politician can deny her electoral success, but she leaves behind a country more divided than she found it.

After 15 years of a Scottish Nationalist government, there is not a single institution that is stronger.

Every single one is weaker. Our NHS is in need of life support. Pupils, parents and teachers struggle to get and deliver a worldclass education, and the entrenched inequalities that saw the poorest do worse at school remain.

Homelessness on our streets is on the rise, and devastating council cuts mean that the frontline services that don't disappear will be cut to the bone.

Enough is enough. So I want to make a direct appeal to people who have voted SNP in the past.

Some of you may once have been Labour voters, or you might never have thought about voting for my party.

But one of the things I believe is that we share is a belief that Scotland's best days lie ahead of it.