Ian Murray: We will deliver powers we promised

Although the result of the referendum was No, the conclusion was clear – it was a Yes to change with a stronger Scottish Parliament. The call for change that we heard on Thursday still rings out – Scotland has been heard. That’s why we won’t rest until Scotland gets all that has been promised; those we need to build the kind of Scotland we all want to see. We must look forward after Thursday and not back.

Our promise is more powers, on the timetable that was brokered by Gordon Brown. We are all fully committed to delivering this. Now Alex Salmond would have you believe that promises are already being reneged upon. However, nothing could be further from the truth.

Mr Salmond has wilfully and deliberately conflated the issue of the promise of more powers to the Scottish Parliament with the debate about devolution to the rest of the UK.

These are two separate processes. I know trust in politicians is low, but I believe that the additional powers as promised will be delivered. While we’ve had the most developed discussion about our politics over the past three years, the rest of the UK’s conversation has only just begun.

A constitutional convention, genuinely involving the public, is the correct way to proceed on issues for the rest of the UK.

That takes time so a UK constitutional convention must be a separate process from the promise of additional powers to Scotland.

The most important task is to persuade people, however they voted, that whilst there was disagreement on the path taken, we must now come together to change Scotland within the UK. That is why I came into politics.

It can’t just be about where powers lies, but about what to do with the powers to improve the lives and livelihoods of Scots. It is everyone’s responsibility to make Scotland a fairer and better place.

Building a better Scotland means coming together to find solutions to the problems we face.

It means being bold and radical in the approach we take.

We made a promise to deliver and I can assure you that we will work night and day to come good on that promise. Our shared responsibility is to commit to using all the powers at our disposal to deliver for Scotland. If we can do that, Team Scotland will win.

• Ian Murray is Labour MP for Edinburgh South