I will repay the trust you’ve shown in me

I HOPE Thursday’s election will be the moment when we turn a corner in Scotland.

I hope it will be the moment when we end the constitutional divisions that have so dominated our public life these last few years – and instead focus on ensuring Scotland, as part of the United Kingdom, becomes the best place to live in the United Kingdom.

I want to thank all those Scottish Daily Mail readers who voted for me on Thursday. The good news is that the parliament you have elected is now equipped to ensure that a fresh SNP drive on independence can be halted in its tracks.

Me and my party won a record 31 out of 129 seats – many of which might otherwise have gone to the SNP. In so doing we managed to deprive the Nationalists of the majority that most commentators were forecasting.

Yes, Nicola Sturgeon still has the largest number of seats at Holyrood. But by no longer having an overall majority, she cannot simply click her fingers and propose another independence referendum if and when she wishes. I never believed the SNP ever had a mandate for that second referendum. But as of Thursday night, now the SNP doesn’t have a majority for it either.

That is the difference your votes made. I believe that Nicola Sturgeon now needs to act to reflect this new reality; in her own words, her failure to win an overall majority is a material change in circumstance.

That’s why, yesterday, I urged her to rule it out for the duration of this parliament. I said that not just because I think it is right we respect the result of the referendum nearly two years ago; I said it also because I believe that by closing the book on the prospect of a repeat referendum, we will all benefit.

Far too much time has already been wasted on independence. It sucked out oxygen from the last parliament, leaving too little time for the issues that matter. Over the next five years, we need a government that actually concentrates on the day job.

There is so much to do. Standards in schools are slipping down the international league table. Our NHS needs to be made ready for ever-increasing demands. And, with new tax powers about to come to Holyrood, it is vital that we have a real debate about how best we grow the economy.

As I said many times during the election campaign, we must avoid getting a reputation as the highest taxed part of the UK. In this election campaign, the SNP, Labour and the Lib Dems all disagreed.

But now that it is over, it is absolutely vital that we have a grown-up debate free from political point-scoring.

Trade bodies are warning about the impact of higher taxes on Scotland. The SNP must now listen to their warnings and ensure we have both fair and competitive taxes.

These are the debates Scotland needs – and the majority of Scots get it.

On Wednesday this week, on the eve of election day, a poll found that most voters want the SNP to prioritise health, the economy, jobs and schools way more than the constitution.

Then, on election night itself, I believe the voting public sent the SNP a message. Voters made it clear that they also want the Nationalists to use their power with greater care.

We are demanding a Scottish Government that seeks to listen, not to hector. We demand a government that focuses its energies on the betterment of our lives as they stand – not on the SNP’s flights of fancy.

As leader of the opposition for the next five years, I will demand that we get that better government.

A strong opposition can lead to a stronger Scotland. I hope to repay the trust you have shown in me – and prove it.