Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar delivered his speech to the party's annual conference in Liverpool on Monday afternoon.

Taking to the lectern after Ian Murray, he pledged "things can and will get better" under Sir Keir Starmer as he laid out his pitch to be the next First Minister.

Here are the key points from his speech

SNP has 'lost its ambition'

Mr Sarwar said: "When Scotland most needs change, when it needs fresh leadership and new ideas, all the SNP focus on is internal division and outward incompetence – the same tired people in power, peddling the same old excuses.

“Frankly, the time is up for the SNP. They are a party that has lost their vision and lost their way, and above all they have lost their ambition for Scotland.

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“Scotland is a country of enormous potential and it is brimming with talent but we’re still being held back by an SNP government that is failing Scots on a daily basis and that has nothing but decline and division to offer people.

"For me, Scotland is the best country in the world.

"Our potential is limitless - just like the ambition and vision of our people.

"We have the expertise, we have the skills, we have the natural resources, we have the workers and we have the entrepreneurs that we need to deliver a decade of national renewal.

"But this requires a government at Holyrood that is ready and willing to work with others to make this happen.

He said a Scottish Labour government would focus on "not selling Scotland to the Scots, but selling Brand Scotland to the world".

y an SNP government that is failing Scots on a daily basis and that has nothing but decline and division to offer people. For me, Scotland is the best country in the world. Our potential is limitless - just like the ambition and vision of our people. We have the expertise, we have the skills, we have the natural resources, we have the workers and we have the entrepreneurs that we need to deliver a decade of national renewal. But this requires a government at Holyrood that is ready and willing to work with others to make this happen. (Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire) No return to austerity

Mr Sarwar has come in for some criticism after promising no austerity under Labour before the general election, while the SNP warned the party's spending plans would mean £18bn worth of cuts.

Echoing Rachel Reeves' comments earlier in the day though, the Scottish Labour leader said plans to fix a budget shortage did not amount to austerity.

He told the conference: "What a year it has been. In the 12 months since we last met we no longer have a Tory government, we have the fewest Tory MPs in modern political history, we have seen the SNP beaten in Scotland and we now have a UK Labour government that has started the journey for change, and for the first time in 14 years we have a Labour Prime Minister.

"Prime Minister who understands Scotland, cares about Scotland, and is determined to deliver for Scotland.

“There will be no return to austerity with a Labour government.”

Scotland's importance to Labour

During his speech, Mr Sarwar asked the party's 37 Scottish MPs to stand up and take a bow, saying that Scotland had led the drive for change in the UK.

He pointed to the riots on the streets which have seen dozens arrested and jailed as an example of the difference made by electing his party.

Mr Sarwar said: "Scotland led the way in delivering a Labour government and Prime Minister, and Scotland led the way in delivering the change the UK needs. The importance of the election victory cannot be overstated.

“Just think how the past couple of months would have turned out differently had the Tories stayed in power. When those far-right thugs took to the streets of the UK, Keir Starmer and his government faced them down and made it clear that the politics of hate have no place in our country.”

Echoes of Blair

As he laid out his vision for a Scottish Labour government, Mr Sarwar called back to Labour's 1997 campaign song 'Things Can Only Get Better'.

He said: "At the general election we did half the job, in 2026 we have the chance to finish the job by electing a Scottish Labour government that works for all of Scotland.

“I and all of Scottish Labour are extremely positive for the future of our country. Scotland’s best days lie ahead, things can and will get better.

“We will make Scotland a world leader in green technology, we will save our NHS by moving power away from the bureaucrats and toward doctors and nurses.

He concluded by calling Scottish Labour "the party of change and hope" and pledged "that is the future we'll deliver together".