SCOTTISH First Minister John Swinney pledged today to “dedicate every fibre” to economic growth.

The SNP leader made the commitment ahead of attending a ground-breaking ceremony at Ardersier Port.

The site, close to Inverness, had once been home to a fabrication yard, thriving in the prosperous years of North Sea oil and gas production, but became Britain’s largest brownfield site in 2001 when the tide turned on the industry.

Now, with the aid of £50 million each from Scottish National Investment Bank and its UK-wide counterpart, the site will see more than £300m in investment — the largest in the Highlands for decades — as it was brought back to life in the manufacture of offshore wind turbines, complete with its own steel plant.

Mr Swinney said he backed growth “for a clear social purpose,” adding: “It is the outcomes of growth which will deliver public funding, we can invest in public services like the NHS and schools and ultimately create a fairer society.

“It is vital that benefits of economic growth are felt right across Scotland — and equally, it is vital that all of Scotland contributes to our economic success.

“The failed austerity agenda pursued by the Conservatives for 14 years — and now supported by Labour — is continuing to hold Scotland’s economy back.

“But I will also use every tool at the Scottish government’s disposal to maximise economic growth now.

“With an economy working to its full potential, public services would get the investment they need to thrive, workers would receive fair pay and no longer be struggling with the cost of living and not a single child in Scotland would be forced to live in poverty.

“That is the goal my government is aiming for as we seek to drive economic growth, and that is what I will dedicate every fibre of my being to achieving as first minister.”

Speaking in Glasgow, Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar said the economy was also his “number one priority,” but damned the SNP’s record as “government by press release and announcement.”

He said: “The reality is that John Swinney has been at the heart of every SNP failure for the last 17 years, and at the heart of the SNP leadership for the last 40 years.

“After so many years of SNP mismanagement, we can’t just have more of the same. Continuity will not cut it.

“Chaos and incompetence cannot be as good as it gets.”