Politics latest: 'Stars are aligning' for Scottish independence, John Swinney to tell SNP conference

Scottish First Minister John Swinney will insist "the stars are aligning" for Scottish independence.

The SNP leader is set to deliver his remarks in a speech on Saturday afternoon during the final day of the party conference in Aberdeen.

He will claim that 2026 marks a "turning point" in the country’s "journey towards statehood" and unionist parties at Westminster are "weaker than they have ever been".

He will seek to press the case for another vote in the wake of elections in May which saw the SNP win a record fifth term in government, while Plaid Cymru secured a win in Wales.

With a Sinn Fein First Minister in Northern Ireland, Mr Swinney will emphasise that "in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, every first minister now supports our nations' right to self-determination".

He will say that "one by one, the stars are aligning in our favour".

It comes after Andy Burnham offered to work with the Scottish government on more devolution - but said power should move away from Holyrood to local communities.

Speaking in Motherwell, the prime minister said he wanted to "move beyond the old politics of conflict" as he offered to work with the SNP to deepen devolution in Scotland.

But Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said Swinney was "like a broken record" with his "obsession with breaking up the UK".

"Meanwhile in the real world, Scots want to see him bring down their bills and fix crumbling public services," he added.

"The Scottish Conservatives understand the seriousness of the threat from this star-gazing separatist to our country’s stability, security and prosperity."