Scottish First Minister John Swinney says he will use the coming year to “eradicate child poverty,” while Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar says he will finish a job “only half done” when the Tories were kicked out of No 10.

Reflecting on what he termed a “remarkable year” which saw Mr Swinney return to the SNP leadership two decades after he was forced out, the First Minister described Hogmanay as a “time for togetherness and also for reflection” as he urged Scots to “look forward, to engage in acts of kindness and to renew past friendships” in the year ahead.

His own year, he said, would be focused on the drive “to eradicate child poverty, to grow the economy, to tackle the climate crisis and to improve our public services.”

Turning to the crunch budget vote his minority administration faces in just five weeks, he added:

“My government has set out a budget to ensure that pensioners will once again receive universal winter fuel payments; that will move a step closer to eradicating child poverty by mitigating the two-child cap; and that will deliver record investment for our precious National Health Service.”

After Labour regaining power at British level, his Labour counterpart Anas Sarwar described 2024 as “one of the most transformative in our recent history.”

“We had to get rid of one government that was doing so much damage to our country,” he said, adding: “The hard work of change has begun — but the job is only half done.

“Over the course of 2025 — with energy, humility and hard work — I will seek to demonstrate that we need a new direction in Scotland, too.”

After a year in which his party was kicked out of a coalition government in Scotland, Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie said: “In 2025, we can and must act for people and planet, to build a society that reflects our values and a country that future generations can cherish and where everyone can thrive.”

In Wales, after Labour First Minister Eluned Morgan had pledged “more support for our NHS” and vowed to “make Wales more prosperous, with more jobs and by growing the green economy,” Plaid Cymru Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth promised a “new chapter,” adding: “One where our NHS is supported, public services valued, the economy stronger and where fairness is the foundation of all that we do.”