This was a budget for our people and our planet - Lorna Slater

Last week’s Budget was a significant step towards a fairer, greener Scotland.

Lorna Slater is the minister for green skills, circular economy and biodiversity

It may have been presented to a backdrop of economic chaos from Westminster, but last week’s Scottish Budget was a bold and ambitious one that will deliver for people and communities being hit by soaring prices and energy bills.

One of the biggest announcements was the decision to scrap peak rail fares. This is a massive change that will save commuters and families hundreds of pounds a year while encouraging more people out of their cars and on to our railways.

It builds on the success of free bus travel for everyone under 22, which has already seen over 500,000 young people taking more than 34 million free journeys.

Both policies are key parts of our drive to ensure that public transport can always be a credible and affordable choice for long-distance travel. They are the kinds of changes that need to be made in every part of the UK and beyond.

There were other big steps to tackle poverty. We have committed £20 million to continue the Fuel Insecurity Fund, and are ensuring extra money for carers and Adult Disability Payments as well as raising benefits in line with inflation.

It was also a Budget with our environment at its heart. In total, it committed to £2.2 billion worth of climate investment – making it the greenest Budget since devolution.

This includes £366 million for programmes to tackle fuel poverty and reduce energy use in buildings. This will help to bring down bills at the same time as reducing emissions.

We have worked to ensure that all of this will be funded by fairer and more progressive taxation that ensures that it is the wealthy who are shouldering the responsibility for ensuring we can protect the poorest and most vulnerable, particularly during this cost crisis.

The approach we have taken stands in stark contrast to a Tory government that has tried to cut its way out of a crisis and only made things worse.

But, if we are to end the Tory attacks on the most vulnerable communities and make the fundamental changes that are needed to increase wages, reform the energy sector and drive down bills, then we will need the powers of a normal independent country.

Without the powers of independence we cannot halt the damage being done by a reckless Tory Brexit that is costing jobs and raising prices or undo the damage that will be done by the 100 new oil and gas exploration licences that the UK Government is handing out or the climate-wrecking coal mine that it approved only two weeks ago.

Until that day, we will do all we can to lead the change in the UK and push the limits of what we can achieve with devolution.

With Greens in government we will always work for people and planet, and ensure Green priorities and values run right the way through everything we do.

Lorna Slater is the minister for green skills, circular economy and biodiversity