John Swinney will host his first Bute House press conference as First Minister on Wednesday where he will outline his plan to “renew public trust in politics” and unite Scotland “against the increasingly extreme and radical right”.
The First Minister is expected to emphasise the “need for unity and solidarity” in response to “those who are seeking to create division in society”.
John Swinney during a visit to Kirriemuir Health Centre on Monday (Jane Barlow/PA)
He is expected to say: “At the start of the year, I warned that failure to pass the budget would send a signal that parliament and politics could not deliver.
“That failure would only serve the interests of an increasingly extreme and radical right and leave devolution dangerously exposed.
“These are pivotal moments for our country and for our future. If we are to restore trust in our politics, we must deliver public services that work better for the people we serve.
“The budget enables us to do so but we must do more. It is time to come together to draw a line in the sand. To set out who we are and what we believe in.
“I want us to be ready for whatever this age of uncertainty throws at us, for us to be united in the face of the undoubted challenges that lie ahead.
“It was a mobilisation of mainstream Scotland that delivered our parliament a quarter of a century ago.
“And I have no doubt, it is only by mobilising mainstream Scotland that we can protect those things we care most about, those things that are most important to us today.”