Swinney has said he is “under no illusions” about the time it will take ministers to achieve his goal of ending child poverty – saying that “strong collective action” will be needed in the long term for success.
However, he insisted he would put in the “hard yards” to tackle the problem, adding he is “determined to make progress as swiftly as possible” when it comes to removing children from poverty.
He spoke out ahead of a keynote speech on the Scottish Government’s Budget plans – which includes proposals to end the two-child cap on some benefits.
READ MORE: UK Government told to ‘get on and deliver’ social energy tariff
While this is not expected to happen before April 2026, Swinney stressed the importance of action, saying that helping the “most vulnerable children is not just a moral imperative, it is a social and economic one too”.
His comments came as he recalled former Tory prime minister Margaret Thatcher’s famous assertion that there was “no such thing as society”.
Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s speech in Stirling, the SNP leader said: “I cut my political teeth in the 1980s and I remember vividly Margaret Thatcher’s assertion that there is no such thing as society.”
Adding that that remark had summed up “a hugely damaging ideology” under the Conservatives, Swinney insisted: “In my view, there is nothing without society – nothing without community and connection.
“We thrive and flourish not when we stand alone but when we stand with others. If one child in our community hurts, we all hurt. If one child struggles, we all struggle.”
The First Minister went on to argue that “Scotland will never reach its full potential until each and every one of us is able to flourish”.
And he added: “I am determined to make progress as swiftly as possible towards our goal of eradicating child poverty – including putting in place the systems needed to end Labour’s two-child cap.
READ MORE: First Minister to announce £3m scheme to curb child poverty
“But I am under no illusions that we will be able to end child poverty in Scotland overnight.
“It will take strong, collective action in the long-term – and that is what my government will deliver in partnership with people and organisations working in our communities.”
He continued: “As a nation, I want us to think big and act bold about our future. That is what I am determined to do now and over the course of the next Parliament, if I am privileged enough to be re-elected as First Minister.
“Our ambition to end child poverty must be central to the government’s agenda, now and beyond 2026.
“I am committed to putting in the hard yards – to bringing people together and identifying lasting solutions.
“If we work together, identify the solutions that work and make that happen relentlessly across Scotland, we have the potential to make a radical difference to our children’s lives.”
Campaigners at Tax Justice Scotland meanwhile called on the First Minister to bring about “fundamental fair tax reforms” to generate additional cash to help tackle the problem.
Speaking on behalf of the umbrella body, which brings together think tanks, trade unions, economists and academics, Lewis Ryder-Jones of Oxfam Scotland stated: “Scotland is rich enough to end child poverty for good if those of us who are able to chip in a bit more.”
He added: “With one in four children in relative poverty in 2022-23, the legal target to cut this to fewer than one in 10 by 2030 will require substantial new policy and spending action.”