THIS week’s Labour Party Conference in Liverpool was our first in government for 15 years.

Despite the many significant challenges the new Government faces, not least clearing up the financial mess the previous Government left behind, the atmosphere at conference was positive.

In July, we won on a platform for comprehensive change rooted in our historic values. Now we are setting out to deliver the programme on which we were elected and give people the change they voted for.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer began conference by reiterating his promise to rebuild the UK, starting with fixing the foundations of our economy and public finances.

At conference, many of the important first steps we have taken in our first few weeks in office were highlighted and debated. We have set up a National Wealth Fund to invest in new and growing industries, launched GB Energy to help produce green energy and create good jobs, and begun the delivery of our New Deal for Working People.

The Government has also started work on establishing Great British Railways, reiterated our commitment to the state pension triple lock, and announced we are changing the way the minimum wage is set so it keeps in line with the cost of living.

But as well as delivering at the UK level, we have another key challenge on the horizon. Elections to the Scottish Parliament take place in less than two years. By then, the SNP will have governed Scotland for 19 years and many voters will be questioning what tangible benefits have been delivered in that time.

The Scottish public will have the opportunity to elect a Labour administration at Holyrood committed to working in partnership with the UK Government. It will be a chance to put the division and decline of the last decade behind us. The time has come for a Scottish Government focused on co-operation, not conflict, to deliver the change Scotland needs.