When I spoke at the Scottish Labour conference on 27 February 2026, I did so with a clear sense of responsibility. Scotland is standing at an economic crossroads, and the choices we make now will shape the lives of children, young people and families for decades. The Muscatelli report has made something undeniable: Scotland is not short of talent, ambition, or ideas. What we lack is alignment, coherence and the courage to act with long‑term purpose.

This matters even more because children’s rights are now enshrined in Scots law. We have made a legal and moral commitment to put their wellbeing, dignity and opportunities at the centre of our decisions. Yet the reality is that we are not living up to that promise. Too many children are growing up in poverty. Too many working class kids are being failed by our education system with 164 fewer teachers in Dundee than when the SNP came into power almost 2 decades ago. Dundee has the second-highest rate of young people going straight into unemployment in the country. This isn’t as good as it gets.

The gap between what we have committed to and what we are delivering is exactly why the election in May is so important. Scotland’s best days lie ahead of us if we elect a Scottish Labour Government and back me as your MSP for Dundee East.

The SNP are failing Dundee’s children and young people with 26% growing up in Poverty

For years, Scotland’s economic development system has been cluttered and inconsistent. Agencies overlap. Priorities compete. Short political cycles pull long‑term plans off course. Businesses feel the uncertainty. Communities feel the lack of momentum. And families—especially children and young people—feel the consequences most sharply.

When systems are fragmented, it is those with the least power who pay the highest price. That is not compatible with a country that has enshrined children’s rights in law. Rights cannot be realised in a system that is disjointed, unpredictable, or driven by short‑term thinking.

What struck me most about the Muscatelli report is its clarity. It does not call for another strategy or another restructure. It calls for:

• clarity of purpose
• consistency of action
• alignment across tax, regional development and innovation

It tells us that Scotland’s productivity gap is not inevitable. It is shaped by choices—whether we empower regions to lead their own growth, whether we invest in innovation at the scale our universities and industries can deliver and whether our tax decisions support the high‑value jobs we want to attract.

These choices are not abstract. They determine whether we uphold or undermine the rights we have committed to protect.

Place matters—and so do the people in those places

Economic growth does not happen in spreadsheets. It can happen right here in Dundee. It happens when local leaders have the tools, trust, and long‑term certainty to build the futures their communities deserve.

If we are serious about children’s rights, then we must be serious about the places they grow up in. Opportunity must not depend on a postcode. Families should not have to fight for the basics. Young people should not feel they need to leave their community to build a future.

Children’s rights must shape our economic choices

Economic growth is often spoken about in technical terms, but its consequences are deeply human. Growth determines whether a child faces opportunities or barriers. Whether a young person can stay in their community or must leave it. Whether a family lives with dignity or with constant pressure.

We have enshrined children’s rights in law. That means our economic decisions must reflect those rights—not as an afterthought, but as the measure of success. A coherent, aligned economic system is not just good policy; it is a requirement if we are to meet the obligations we have set for ourselves.

Choosing the Scotland and the Dundee we want and need

In my speech, I set out the choices ahead of us:

• alignment over fragmentation
• long‑term investment over short‑term noise
• regional empowerment over centralised caution
• an economy that works for the people who need it most

Scotland has everything it needs to thrive.

What we need now is the courage to build the system that allows it—and to finally deliver on the rights and opportunities every child and family in this country deserves.

That is why I believe the path forward requires a Scottish Labour Government on May 7th, with Anas Sarwar as First Minister, to bring the coherence, purpose, and long‑term leadership Scotland needs.

Watch my conference speech.

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