First Minister says SNP are 'main challengers' to Tories as he launches General Election campaign
John Swinney visits Dumfries to kick off SNP election campaign
Scotland's First Minister says his party would begin conversations with the UK Government about Scottish Independence, if they win a majority of Westminster seats in Scotland.
As parties across Scotland kicked off the first full week of campaigning, John Swinney said that the SNP was the main "challenger" in Tory held seats across Scotland whilst on a visit to Dumfries.
The First Minister, who has been SNP leader for less than a month, met activists in the town's Midsteeple Quarter before heading to Loreburn Hall in the town centre.
When asked what an SNP majority of Scottish seats would mean for the UK, the First Minister said he would "start negotiations with the United Kingdom government on how we take forward the steps to secure Scottish independence."
He continued: "We've had such damage done to Scotland by the Westminster system.
"Under this Conservative government, we've had austerity, Brexit and the cost of living. These are all the products of Westminster."
At their party conference last October, SNP members voted in favour of a motion that suggested a majority of seats would "empower" the Scottish Government to begin "immediate negotiations with the UK Government to give democratic effect to Scotland."
Swinney: "I accept that there are challenges"
Launching the General Election campaign last week, the First Minister also urged voters to "unite Scotland to protect the NHS."
During his visit to Dumfries, he admitted that there were challenges for the health service.
Speaking to ITV Border, he said: "We've had a global pandemic and every health service in the world is recovering from that situation.
"But what we've demonstrated is a commitment to improve the performance of the NHS, I accept that there are challenges about waiting times because we've had a global pandemic and we had to pause operations for a significant period of time.
"Now we're working hard to erode those waiting times and to make sure that we reduce them as fast as we can."
Scottish Parliament "will address" iPad MSP next week
The SNP campaign launch follows the First Minister's claim that an investigation into a former Health Minister was "prejudiced."
Michael Matheson was suspended from Holyrood for 27 days last week, after a committee found he had tried to use his expenses to cover an £11,000 data roaming bill racked up on his iPad whilst on a family holiday.
On this, Swinney said: "I've got to make sure that Parliament undertakes a fair process in dealing with these difficult issues.
"Now Parliament will address these issues in the course of this week and will decide exactly what's going to happen.
"But for me, it's important that Parliament acts properly, and that's the issue that I've set out to Parliament."
Douglas Ross, who leads the Conservative Party in Scotland, attempted to capitalise on the controversy surrounding Michael Matheson with a campaign visit to the latter's constituency.
Whilst Swinney visited Dumfries Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey was also in Scotland, where he said his party would fix Scottish dentistry.
Elsewhere Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar discussed his party's plan to create 'Great British Energy' if they won the election, whilst at a wind farm in South Lanarkshire.
The country will go to the polls this summer after the Prime Minister called a surprise early election for 4 July 2024.
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