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Nicola Sturgeon to promise childcare provision 'unmatched' in UK Nicola Sturgeon announces Scottish energy firm
(about 2 hours later)
Nicola Sturgeon will say the SNP's commitment to childcare is "unmatched" in the UK as she announces spending will double by 2020. The Scottish government is to set up a publicly-owned, not-for-profit energy company, Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed.
Scotland's first minister will use her speech at the party's conference to flesh out plans to expand free early learning and childcare. The SNP leader told the party's conference that the company will sell energy to customers at "as close to cost price as possible".
She will also make the case for independence, arguing it is time to "put Scotland in the driving seat". Ms Sturgeon said it would be set up by 2021, and would give people - particularly on low incomes - more choice of which supplier to use.
And she will say the party's focus is now on "the next decade and beyond". She also said the SNP will "always make the case for independence".
Ms Sturgeon's speech, which is scheduled for 15:20, will be broadcast live on the BBC website, and on BBC2 Scotland. And while the Scottish government has delayed plans for a second independence referendum, Ms Sturgeon made clear the SNP still had a mandate for a vote on the issue.
The Scottish government has pledged to almost double free provision to 30 hours a week. It would apply to three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds. 'Party of independence'
Ms Sturgeon will tell delegates in Glasgow the move will save working parents about £350 a month on the costs of childcare. She described the "essence of independence" as being "in charge of the decisions that shape your destiny" and "being in the driving seat and not simply at the mercy of events".
The first minister declared: "We are the party of independence. The case for independence doesn't depend on Brexit. But Brexit does show us what can happen when we don't control our own future.
Among Ms Sturgeon's other announcements were:
The possibility of launching a publicly-owned energy company was included in last year's SNP manifesto.
In her keynote speech to the conference in Glasgow, Ms Sturgeon said the idea would now be taken forward, with more detail to be provided when the Scottish government publishes its new energy strategy.
She said: "Energy would be bought wholesale or generated here in Scotland - renewable, of course - and sold to customers as close to cost price as possible.
"No shareholders to worry about. No corporate bonuses to consider. It would give people - particularly those on low incomes - more choice and the option of a supplier whose only job is to secure the lowest price for consumers."
More SNP conference coverageMore SNP conference coverage
She is expected to say: "Often when I have talked about this policy, I've been asked - sometimes sceptically - if we will really be able to fund it properly. On her government's childcare plans, Ms Sturgeon told delegates that it had already pledged to almost double free provision to 30 hours a week for all three and four-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds.
"Well, today, we put our money where our mouth is. Over the past few months, we have undertaken detailed work to assess the investment needed. Ms Sturgeon said the move will save working parents about £350 a month on the costs of childcare.
"Right now, we invest around £420m a year in early years education and childcare. I can announce today that by the end of this parliament, that will rise to £840m a year. And she confirmed that the Scottish government will double the £420m it currently spends on early years education and childcare to £840m a year by 2020.
"This is a commitment unmatched anywhere else in the UK. And it's the best investment we can make in Scotland's future." Ms Sturgeon told the conference: "This is a commitment unmatched anywhere else in the UK. And it's the best investment we can make in Scotland's future."
Ms Sturgeon will say her government has "led the way" during its decade in power and the party's focus was now "on the next 10 years and beyond". The first minister went on to say that Scotland's interests were threatened by "chaos" at Westminster, with Labour's position on Brexit "clear as mud" and Theresa May having "lost control".
Uncertain path She repeated claims the EU Withdrawal Bill amounted to a "blatant power grab" on the Scottish Parliament, adding: "We will not allow a Tory government to undermine devolution.
Transformational policies are needed to equip Scotland for the future in a rapidly changing world and with Brexit looming, she will add. 'People of Catalonia'
Ms Sturgeon is expected to say: "That world around us is being shaped by events that no country on its own can hope to completely control. But she acknowledged the EU was not perfect, and criticised its response to the police violence in Catalonia during the recent disputed independence referendum.
"But we face the added uncertainty of a UK now being driven down the most uncertain path in modern times. Ms Sturgeon said: "Sometimes it (the EU) fails to live up to its founding values of human dignity, freedom, democracy and equality.
"We know that Scotland does better when decisions are taken here in Scotland. "When the people of Catalonia - EU citizens - were violently attacked by police just for trying to vote, the EU should have spoken up, loudly, to condemn it."
"So as we look ahead we face a choice: We can trail in the wake of the change that is coming - or we can choose to shape our own future. She said it was time for the Spanish government to sit down with the government of Catalonia, adding: "It is time for them to talk and to find a way forward.
"Let's resolve this today: Let's not wait for others to decide for us. Let's put Scotland in the driving seat." "A way forward that respects the rule of law, yes. But a way forward that also respects democracy and the right of the people of Catalonia to determine their own future."
Ms Sturgeon's speech will be closely scrutinised for clues to how the Scottish government intends to find the funds for increased public spending.
BBC Scotland understands that ministers are reviewing the income levels at which people begin to pay higher rates of tax.