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SNP conference: Nicola Sturgeon appointed party leader SNP conference: Nicola Sturgeon appointed party leader
(about 1 hour later)
Nicola Sturgeon has taken over the leadership of the SNP from Alex Salmond with the aim of winning the 2015 UK election in Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon has taken over the leadership of the SNP from Alex Salmond, pledging to continue the fight for Scottish independence.
After being confirmed in the post at the start of the SNP conference she said leading the party was "the biggest privilege of my life". At the SNP conference she also set a target for her party to win the 2015 UK election for Scotland.
Ms Sturgeon, who has been the SNP's deputy leader for the past decade, was the only candidate for the job. Ms Sturgeon, who will become Scottish first minister next week, said the SNP was a party with "the wind in its sails" but there was still much to do.
MP Stewart Hosie won the contest to be deputy SNP leader. Meanwhile, MP Stewart Hosie succeeded Ms Sturgeon deputy SNP leader.
The SNP's Treasury spokesman stood for the post against Youth Employment Secretary Angela Constance and Transport Minister Keith Brown. Mr Hosie beat the perceived frontrunner for the role, Transport Minister Keith Brown, in a contest also featuring Youth Employment Secretary Angela Constance.
Ms Sturgeon, who will next week be voted in as Scottish first minister by parliament, said the SNP was now Scotland's biggest party "by a country mile". Ms Sturgeon told the conference in Perth that leading the party she joined as a teenager was "the biggest privilege of my life".
She told the conference in Perth: "The wind is in our sails, but in politics there is no room for complacency or for self congratulation - we must always look forward as a party, as a movement, as a country and ensure we do our best for the people we serve." Despite the vote against independence in September's referendum, which promoted Mr Salmond to stand down, she told delegates: "I believe today as strongly as I ever have, perhaps more strongly than I ever have, that we will be independent."
Accepting the leadership in the wake of Mr Salmond's decision to stand down following the independence referendum "No" vote, she said: "To become the leader of the party that I joined as a teenager is the biggest privilege of my life. "But that will only happen when a majority of our citizens vote for that in a referendum.
"It is an emotional moment, but one that I cherish and one that I relish." "So our task remains as it has always been - not to impose our will, not to berate those who disagree with us but to persuade - respectfully and intelligently through the strength of our arguments and the power of our actions - to persuade the majority of our fellow Scots that the best future for our country, the way to build a more prosperous more successful country and a fairer society, is for us to become a normal independent nation."
In a speech to the conference later, Mr Salmond will reaffirm his belief that Scotland will become an independent nation, and set the SNP a target of bringing its membership to 100,000 before next May's general election. Ahead of the UK election, Ms Sturgeon added: "I want this party to leave this conference this weekend with the intention of winning the Westminster election for Scotland next May.
SNP chiefs have said that, despite the outcome of the independence referendum, the party was well placed for further electoral success, with its membership going from 25,000 to more than 84,000 since 18 September. "I want strong SNP MPs at Westminster and I want that for one reason and one reason only - when the SNP is strong, Scotland is strong. Our voice will be heard, our interests will be protected."
And they said polls indicated the party was at about 46% on Westminster voting intentions, with the figure at 48% for the Scottish Parliament. Ms Sturgeon said such a result would leave "no hiding place" for the UK parties who pledged to deliver more Scottish Parliament powers in the event of a referendum "No" vote.
'Enormous debt'
Ms Sturgeon, who also promised to govern Scotland with "competence, energy, commitment, imagination and vision".
She said the SNP was now Scotland's biggest party "by a country mile", adding: "The wind is in our sails, but in politics there is no room for complacency or for self congratulation.
"We must always look forward as a party, as a movement, as a country and ensure we do our best for the people we serve."
Ms Sturgeon also paid tribute to Mr Salmond - who will address the conference later - saying: "We owe him the most enormous debt of gratitude. Lets us thank him from the bottom of our hearts."
Later the party is expected to announce changes to rules allowing non-members to stand as candidates in the general election.Later the party is expected to announce changes to rules allowing non-members to stand as candidates in the general election.
The move is designed to appeal to activists who campaigned for a "Yes" vote in the independence referendum.The move is designed to appeal to activists who campaigned for a "Yes" vote in the independence referendum.
Mr Salmond will later reaffirm his belief that Scotland will become an independent nation, and set the SNP a target of bringing its membership to 100,000 before next May's general election.
SNP chiefs have said that, despite the outcome of the independence referendum, the party was well placed for further electoral success, with its membership going from 25,000 to more than 84,000 since 18 September.
And they said polls indicated the party was at about 46% on Westminster voting intentions, with the figure at 48% for the Scottish Parliament.
Mr Salmond, who has been Scottish first minister for seven-and-a-half years, will address the conference on Friday afternoon, with Ms Sturgeon making her first speech as party leader 24 hours later.Mr Salmond, who has been Scottish first minister for seven-and-a-half years, will address the conference on Friday afternoon, with Ms Sturgeon making her first speech as party leader 24 hours later.
In his address, Mr Salmond is expected to reaffirm his belief that Scotland will become an independent nation.
He is due to say: "I want to affirm what we achieved together on the 18th of September 2014, because whilst we lost that vote, we also won a great deal.
"The 18th September 2014 will come to be seen as the day Scotland took control of her own destiny. It was a day of empowerment. Of engagement. Of confidence. It reawakened in millions of Scots a sense of purpose and of hope.
"It ended - forever - the top down politics of the past and ushered in a new era of participative politics the envy of the democratic world. So regardless of 'Yes' and 'No' let us all agree that from the 18th September 2014 the clear winner can be Scotland."
The outgoing first minister will describe the day of the referendum as the "most significant breakthrough in Scottish political history".The outgoing first minister will describe the day of the referendum as the "most significant breakthrough in Scottish political history".
He will add: "Why? Because despite everything that the Westminster establishment threw at Scotland, 45% of the people - 1.6 million women and men living and working in Scotland - chose hope over fear, a much higher number than our opponents ever thought possible when we started this campaign."He will add: "Why? Because despite everything that the Westminster establishment threw at Scotland, 45% of the people - 1.6 million women and men living and working in Scotland - chose hope over fear, a much higher number than our opponents ever thought possible when we started this campaign."
Mr Salmond is expected to say: "After the referendum, those very opponents believed that Scotland had been quietened, that we'd had our day in the sun and we should be politely put back in our box.Mr Salmond is expected to say: "After the referendum, those very opponents believed that Scotland had been quietened, that we'd had our day in the sun and we should be politely put back in our box.
"They thought it was all over… well it isn't now. Because in truth, delegates, everything in Scotland is now different. All has changed and changed utterly."They thought it was all over… well it isn't now. Because in truth, delegates, everything in Scotland is now different. All has changed and changed utterly.
"Because of the 55% who voted 'No', many did so on the last minute promise of radical constitutional reform within the Union.""Because of the 55% who voted 'No', many did so on the last minute promise of radical constitutional reform within the Union."