LAST week terror shook the people of Manchester and the country. 

My heart goes out to all those effected by this attack. Manchester is a vibrant city and one of the greatest in the world.

I have no doubt that it will overcome this act of terror.

The solidarity shown by the people of Manchester in the immediate aftermath was incredible. The city came together in such a beautiful way, whether it was offering people a place to sleep who couldn’t get home from the concert, the free taxi journeys or businesses and individuals opening their doors in the early hours of Tuesday morning to provide refuge to those in need.

There is a lot we can learn from the solidarity of Manchester. No matter where you are from in the UK we have more in common with one-another than we disagree with.

I’d also like to pay tribute to our emergency services. As people ran away from the danger of the explosion they were heading towards it. We should remember that their courageous acts that we see day in and day out are in the true spirit of our country.

Last week they were truly heroes in the way that they responded to the crisis and I commend their actions.

We have experienced terror before, but we have never cowed, we have always picked ourselves back up and got back on with our lives and so we shall do so again.

We will overcome this atrocity as we have done so before and we will not renegade on our way of life or the freedoms that are the bedrock of our country.

In the Scottish Parliament we now must get back to work, even as we enter into the final week of a General Election.

Even though Westminster has dissolved Holyrood is still open for business.

So this week in the Scottish Parliament I’ll be speaking about the extremely important issue of child poverty. This will need a focused effort on part of both the UK and Scottish governments if we are serious about eradicating this in the long term. 

Often this can be politically charged, but I think it’s crucial that all parties resolve to working together to make real progress on this issue. 

I want to see the Scottish Government make sure that additional spend on welfare it promises is fully and transparently costed and honest with the Scottish taxpayer.  

This time next week the General Election will be over. My plea is simple.

Who is best placed to negotiate with the EU to ensure the whole of the UK gets a good deal? It will either be Jeremy Corbyn or Theresa May. I know where my money is.