Nicola Sturgeon was warmly welcomed by SNP supporters in Inverness last night as she prepares to officially take over as First Minister later this month.
A full house greeted the Glasgow Southside MSP when she took to the stage at Eden Court for the latest appearance on her tour of Scotland.
Stalls selling an array of merchandise and queues to sign up as members of the SNP gave the event a pop concert atmosphere.
Referring to her sell-out appearance at the 12,000 capacity SSE Hydro in Glasgow, the event’s host, Gail Ross, SNP councillor for Wick, even likened her to stars such as Kylie, Beyonce, and Lady Gaga.
Making her entrance to a standing ovation, she held the audience in the palm of her hand, with sporadic applause greeting many parts of her speech.
It was a return to the venue where she made her first speech, as deputy leader, to the SNP conference about 10 years ago.
She said: “I plan to be the most accessible First Minister ever, with regular town hall meetings, question and answer sessions on social media, and taking the Cabinet out of Edinburgh – not just every summer, but every couple of months.
“I know there are those who will never be persuaded of the case for independence and I respect that, and as First Minister I will serve them too.”
A lively question-and-answer session followed and the fourth date in Ms Sturgeon’s tour was over.
Meanwhile, Labour’s Shadow Scottish Secretary Margaret Curran said people deserved better from Ms Sturgeon as she prepares to take over from Alex Salmond.
Ms Curran said: “In a matter of days, Nicola Sturgeon will become SNP leader and then First Minister.
“She’s been at Alex Salmond’s side for 10 years. Now the Scottish people deserve to know what she stands for.
“At the weekend Nicola Sturgeon didn’t name a single progressive policy she would back to improve the lives of ordinary Scots.”