Former SNP minister says John Swinney should be 'replaced' after by-election loss
Davy Russell becomes Scotland's newest MSP after he won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election on Friday with just shy of 32% of the vote.
It comes after the First Minister defended the SNP's strategy of calling the campaign a 'two-horse race' with Reform as the main opponent.
READ MORE: I was there as SNP vote collapsed in Hamilton by-election
The SNP's Katy Loudon came second with 29% of the vote, while Reform came in third place with 26%.
And now, Neil took to Twitter/X in the aftermath of the by-election to criticise the SNP leadership.
'Poor by-election result for the SNP despite having the best candidate,' he wrote.
'It shows that the opinion polls appear wide of the mark
'Most importantly it shows the current SNP leadership needs to be replaced urgently.'
Neil served as an MSP from 1999 until he stood down in 2021. He served as health secretary between September 2012 and November 2014, and then social justice secretary until May 2016.
The former politician has been critical of the SNP since he left the Scottish Parliament and repeatedly called for an end to the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens.
No senior SNP figures have called for Swinney to stand down in the wake of the by-election.
READ MORE: John Curtice in warning to SNP and Labour after Hamilton by-election
Meanwhile, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar criticised the SNP's tactic of urging voters to back them to 'stop Reform'.
'All that did was demonstrate that this is a party that is devoid of ideas, devoid of energy and is now running down the clock to be removed from office,' he said.
'And all it did was try to drive people into the arms of Reform and Nigel Farage.
(Image: Colin Mearns) "That is not going to work next year."
We told how activists revealed they were 'shut down' when they tried to question the strategy to attack Reform by SNP HQ.
Defending his comments, Swinney said on Friday: 'I called it the way I saw it.'
He also spoke of his disappointment at his party's loss, acknowledging there is 'anger' about the cost of living and concerns around access to services in Scotland.
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