Almost a year on from the independence referendum, Nicola Sturgeon has been urged to “put the arguments of the past aside and focus on the future”.
Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale challenged the First Minister to change her priorities and use the “full force” of her government to close the gap between rich and poor youngsters.
Ms Sturgeon hit back, saying while opposition parties “carp from the sidelines, they moan and they groan, this government gets on with delivering for the people of this country”.
The First Minister and the new Labour leader clashed at First Minister’s Questions in Holyrood, with the exchanges taking place on the eve of the first anniversary of the historic referendum vote.
Scots voted by 55% to 45% to remain part of the UK but Ms Sturgeon said: “There have been 24 polls in the last 12 months, every single one of them has shown support for independence higher than it was a year ago tomorrow.”
The SNP leader revealed at the weekend that her manifesto for next year’s Holyrood election would set out more detail about the timing and circumstances that could trigger a possible second independence vote.
Ms Dugdale demanded she “put the arguments of the past aside and focus on the future of our young people”.
The Labour MSP asked: “When will this First Minister stop campaigning for another referendum and start government for a better Scotland?”
She stated: “The reality is I don’t expect the First Minister to change her principles but I do expect her to change her priorities.
“Tomorrow marks one year since the referendum, I know this week the First Minister has talked about the material changes and the triggers that would be required for another referendum. She wants the SNP to get a second chance to ask that referendum question.”
Ms Dugdale continued: “This is the First Minister who promised us not so long ago that the referendum was a once-in-a-generation event, now she has a shopping list of material changes she thinks would justify another referendum.
“Instead of using the full force of government to make a difference to the lives of young people, the SNP want us to go through the same arguments all over again.”
Twelve months after the independence vote, Ms Sturgeon argued the case for Holyrood gaining power from Westminster is “overwhelming”.
The SNP leader told MSPs: “Let me give two examples from this very week where the argument for transferring power from Westminster to the Scottish Parliament is overwhelming, firstly the Tory attack on trade union rights. It would be better for employment law to rest with this Parliament.
“Secondly, the Tory assault on the incomes of working people. It would be better for decisions on social security to be taken in this Parliament.”
While new powers for Holyrood are promised in the Scotland Bill, which is currently going through Westminster, the First Minister raised the issue of whether they fulfilled the ‘vow’ made in advance of the referendum.
Ms Sturgeon said: “Maybe if Labour and their friends in the Conservatives had managed to persuade more than just 9% of the Scottish population that their vow on more powers had been delivered we wouldn’t be seeing support for independence increasing in the polls.”
Instead of pressing her on a second independence referendum, Ms Dugdale asked the First Minister about “those kids who don’t even get a first chance under her government”.
The Labour leader said: “We know that kids from poorer background start primary school with language skills a whole year behind their better-off classmates. And after eight years of SNP government, over 6,000 children in Scotland today leave primary school unable to read properly.
“How many more kids do we need to see without the basic skills they need before that triggers radical action?”
She added: “In Scotland today you are twice as likely to get an A in your Highers if you go to private school than if you go to state school, and we know that a young person from a rich background is twice as likely to go on to higher education as someone from a poor background.
“She’s had eight years. When will the First Minister deliver a material change in the number of poorer children going on to higher education?”
Ms Sturgeon said her Labour rival “clearly couldn’t decide today whether she wanted to ask about education or about independence”.
After new UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn asked the public what questions he should pose at Prime Minister’s Questions, Ms Sturgeon suggested: “Maybe she should have followed the example of her new leader and asked the audience what she should have asked about today.”
The First Minister insisted: “In terms of raising standards of literacy and numeracy in our education system, I could not have been clearer about the priority I and this government attaches to that.
“That is why we have established the £100 million attainment fund already channelling extra resources to more than 300 primary schools in the most deprived parts of the country.”
She added: “We’re seeing more young people from our most deprived communities going to university, but I don’t think it’s high enough, which is why one of the first things I did as First Minister is establishing the widening access commission.
“We’ll get the interim report from that commission in the autumn and we’ll start to deliver on its recommendations.
“The division in the chamber between this government and the opposition parties is this – they carp from the sidelines, they moan and they groan, this government gets on with delivering for the people of this country.”
Ms Dugdale said that answer “sounded like it had been emailed in from Alex from Strichen” – a reference to former first minister Alex Salmond.