The SNP has called for the future UK Government to match its £500m Just Transition Fund as the party launched its manifesto two weeks out from the election.

The calls come just months after the Scottish Government cut funding from the Just Transition Fund from £50m in 2023/24 to just £12m in 2024/25.

John Swinney also called for windfall taxation powers to be devolved.

The manifesto states: "We believe it is only right that companies making excess profits shoulder the burden that families face, but that this must be a wider tax - balanced across companies - rather than the raid on the North-east of Scotland proposed by Labour and the Tories."

It also calls for Westminster to reverse £1.3bn cut to Scotland's capital budget.

A chance to 'intensify the pressure'

Meanwhile, should Scotland return a majority of SNP MPs to Westminster, Mr Swinney says Holyrood will be "empowered" to begin negotiations for a second independence referendum.

"If the SNP wins a majority of seats in this election in Scotland, the Scottish government will embark on negotiations with the UK government to run the democratic wishes of people in Scotland into a reality," Mr Swinney said, at the party's manifesto launch in Edinburgh.

"The best way to secure independence is through a democratic referendum, the obstacle to that is the intransigence of the United Kingdom government.

"So what this election gives people the chance to do is to intensify the pressure to secure Scottish independence and to bring that about by voting SNP in order for us to achieve a majority of Westminster seats at this election."

Protecting the NHS

The manifesto also sets out a series of demands to protect the NHS in Scotland, which is devolved to Holyrood.

The party said it would urge the UK Government to invest a minimum of £6bn in the NHS to match the most recent pay deals for Scotland's healthcare staff, adding that the extra investment would return around £600m to Scotland through the Barnett formula.

The SNP also wants an extra £10bn a year to "address rampant inflationary pressures and improve performance". The party argues both policies would return additional investment of £1.6bn for Scotland's health service.

"The SNP message on the health service is clear, it is simple and it will never change. The NHS is not for sale," Mr Swinney said.

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