Sturgeon tells SNP conference Covid poses 'big challenges'

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Independence is not unusual, Ms Sturgeon says, with more than 100 countries taking that route in the past 60 years.

"The fact is, independence is the normal state of affairs for countries the world over," she says.

"With all the resources and talents we have available to us, I simply do not believe that Scotland can’t match, perhaps even surpass, the success of Denmark, Norway, Ireland, Austria and the many other prosperous independent countries that are all around us."

Ms Sturgeon outlines her argument for Scottish independence.

Scotland's ambitions for a higher standard of living, good jobs for the future, a clean environment, better health and sustainable public services, are being undermined by the current Westminster government, she says.

"Boris Johnson’s government is actively eroding the power of our democratically-elected Scottish Parliament," she adds.

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Ms Sturgeon slams the ending of the universal credit uplift as "cruel and shocking".

She says the move will push 60,000 Scottish families and 20,000 children into poverty.

But she is "determined to lift children out of poverty."

The Scottish Child Payment - which currently provides low income families with £10 per week for every child under six - is to be doubled.

From the beginning of the new financial year in April, it will increase to £20.

By the end of next year, it will be extended to all children in low income families under the age of 16.

Ms Sturgeon calls it "the boldest and most ambitious anti-poverty measure anywhere in the UK".

The SNP was looking to the future with its journey to net zero carbon emissions, and had a co-operation agreement with the Scottish Green Party to "raise the bar of achievement higher", Ms Sturgeon says.

"We recognise that working with others who also want to move Scotland forward will help us all achieve more," she adds.

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Ms Sturgeon says the SNP is laying the foundations for a stronger future.

Her proudest moment as first minister is her "transformational support for children", the FM says.

She adds that 200,000 baby boxes have now been delivered in Scotland to give every child an equal start in life.

She outlines the doubling of state-funded early years education and childcare.

And she says the provision of nursery care for two, three and four-year-olds means they are entitled to the same number of hours in early years settings as older children get in school.

Ms Sturgeon goes on to highlight her party's introduction of a new social security system and says it was designed to tackle child poverty - the root cause of the poverty-related attainment gap in education - at its heart.

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Ms Sturgeon praises GPs for delivering medical care amid increasing demand.

She announces funding of £30m, to be delivered in December and April, to help GPs further increase primary care services in their communities.

GPs will be able to target investment where it is most needed and help patients get treatment as close to home as possible, Ms Sturgeon says.

The heaviest burden of the virus has fallen on NHS and social care staff, who are under more pressure than ever before and are exhausted, Ms Sturgeon tell party members.

"Words will never, ever express my gratitude to them," she says, adding that she was proud that Scottish NHS staff had the highest pay rise in the UK.

She says a national care service is at the heart of the SNP's reforms, and will be a "fitting legacy from the trauma of Covid".

She says the SNP government has committed an additional £300m for winter support and immediate recruitment of 1,000 NHS staff.

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Ms Sturgeon is speaking as figures revealed Covid-19 cases in Scotland remained relatively stable during October.

There were still about 2,500 cases a day being confirmed - but the number of detected infections didn't seem to be rising or falling significantly.

The seven-day average began to go up into the first half of November, reaching about 3,000 cases a day, but in recent days had begun to fall again.

A sustained fall in cases in the run-up to Christmas would have been a welcome sight to ministers. The fear now will be that the Omnicron variant will reverse the trend - as the Alpha variant did this time last year and Delta did in the spring.

The SNP leader says that if someone could be vaccinated right now, but has chosen not to be, then "you are putting your own life at risk". and risking the lives of everyone you come in contact with.

She cites WHO statistics released last week which said that, in Scotland, without vaccines about 32,000 people over 60 would have died this year.

She says that 86% of these deaths were prevented by vaccines - around 27,000 people are alive today who would not be if we did not have vaccines.

She urges people to get first, second and booster doses as "a gift for those you love".

Ms Sturgeon then asks people to test themselves on every occasion they plan to mix with people outside their homes.

If the test is positive, she says, "Do not go".

Ms Sturgeon says Covid cases in Scotland had been declining before the Omicron variant was detected, but we "must not drop our guard".

She says all of us must "redouble our efforts" to prevent the spread of the virus during the winter months.

The Scottish government will not shy away from taking difficult decisions, she adds.

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Addressing her party virtually, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says she really hopes members can meet in person again in spring.

She says holding a conference online is a "mere inconvenience" compared to the sacrifices made by so many over the past two years.

"We have come so far, and while it has not been easy, a spirit of solidarity with a compassion has helped us through," she says.

This needs to be harnessed again as the Omicron variant could bring a "winter that might be tougher than most of us have ever experienced," Ms Sturgeon says.

Focus now moves on to Nicola Sturgeon's keynote speech at the Scottish National Party's conference.

The first minister is making the address on the last day of the four-day virtual event.

You can watch it by clicking on the tab above.

Reaction is arriving to the first minister's briefing on the Omicron variant. But what did we learn from her statement and media questions?

• Six cases of the Omicron variant have been identified, four in Lanarkshire and two in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area
• Those positive are not in hospital and there is no indication the variant is widespread in Scotland
• The overall Covid situation in Scotland remains stable, with cases even declining slightly
• Early indications from South Africa suggest it may be more transmissable than the Delta variant and it may carry an increased risk of reinfection
• There is currently no information that the symptoms are any different or that the disease caused by the variant is more severe
• Everyone in Scotland is being asked to carry out a lateral flow test before any social mixing
• The FM has written a joint letter with Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford to Prime Minster Boris Johnson asking for increased measures for people travelling into the UK, including PCR tests on day eight as well as day two
• Ms Sturgeon said it was "not impossible but also not probable" that the cases came from COP26
• No-one is being asked to change Christmas or travel plans yet
• There are no known deaths from the Omicron variant and children are not thought to be affected more than from other variants

The first minister says she is very concerned about the potential for more pressure on the NHS as winter approaches.

This underlines the "necessity of doing everything we can to keep this virus in general under control, but (also) this variant in particular", Ms Sturgeon says.

She is hoping to get a UK four-nations agreement on travel restrictions "because we know from travel patterns that that is the only thing that will be properly effective".

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The possibility of increased travel restrictions has been a hot topic during the briefing.

Ms Sturgeon says that countries are detecting cases "by the hour" and the travel restrictions are broad-based because we cannot be certain which countries have the variant. She says this blanket approach may change as more becomes clear.

Dr Gregor Smith adds that we still do not know if incubation period and symptoms are different with the new variant and this approach gives confidence that everything is being done to reduce the risk.

The FM says she cannot confirm if the six confirmed cases are known to each other.