First Minister John Swinney will use a speech on Wednesday to ask if Holyrood is strong enough to stand up to the “threat” of Reform UK.
Mr Swinney will speak at a conference hosted by the IPPR think tank in Edinburgh, where he will push for a parliament that will “protect Scotland from the worst”.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar is also due to speak at the event, where he will make a pitch for his party ahead of next year’s election, pledging to bring forward “bold policies” and accusing the Scottish Government of “tinkering”.
Speaking as polls suggest Labour and Reform are battling for second place in Scotland, Mr Swinney is expected to say: “Today, as I think we can all see, a new threat to so much of what we value is emerging. Therefore, I ask whether the parliament we thought would be our protection is in fact strong enough.
“That is why we need a parliament with the power not only to change Scotland for the better, but also to protect Scotland from the worst. Because self-government works for Scotland.
“So I want a parliament in Scotland with the power to choose a return to membership of the EU.
“A parliament with responsibility for immigration policy so that overseas staff working in our NHS are not threatened with deportation.
“A parliament with control over Scotland’s vast energy resources so that we can accelerate our journey to net zero and bring bills down.
“Full self-government so that our actions to take more children out of poverty – from the Scottish Child Payment to the vital work to ensure public services are joined up and delivering whole family support – are not being hampered by choices taken elsewhere.
“Because the best chance of making the Scotland of tomorrow even better than the Scotland of today is to put Scotland’s future in Scotland’s hands and to choose the fresh start that is EU membership as an independent nation state.”
Scottish Labour has already unveiled a raft of policies for if Anas Sarwar becomes first minister after May’s election, including cutting the 14 territorial health boards to three in an effort to cut bureaucracy.
The party has also committed to reforming the planning system, publishing a skills strategy and declaring a waiting times emergency in the health service.
Mr Sarwar is expected to tell attendees at the conference that public services are in “disarray” and the NHS is “on life support”.
“The age of tinkering around the edges has to end if we are to meet the challenges before us,” he will say.
“Scotland cannot afford a third decade of tired SNP tinkering and failure.
“That’s why I am leading Scottish Labour into the Scottish Parliament elections with bold policies to deliver the transformative change that Scotland needs.
“The choice next is simple – more of the same with John Swinney and the SNP or transformative change with Scottish Labour.
“From radical reform of our NHS, to ending the block on new nuclear power and rewiring our skills system, Scottish Labour is ready to deliver the new direction Scotland needs.”
