Swinney: Independence will be 'central' to SNP 2026 election campaign

The Herald Scotland

11-05-2025

The SNP leader had been notably quiet on the constitutional question in recent months, leading to concern from within his own ranks.
However, he has said a 'democratic majority' of pro-independence MSPs must result in a second referendum as he looks ahead to the Scottish Parliament elections.
Mr Swinney echoed those calls in an interview today as he said the movement would play a "central" role in his party's campaigning.
The First Minister and SNP leader told BBC's The Sunday Show: 'The arguments for independence will be central to the SNP's election campaign for 2026 and that will run through many of the arguments I make in the course of the next 12 months.
'We're now able to illustrate why Scotland would be better off with independence because we are seeing first hand the actions of a Labour government in Westminster following on from a Tory governments and neither of these governments will give us a pathway back into the European Union which is undermining the living standards of people in Scotland.'
There is already a pro-independence majority in Holyrood, with previous requests for a second vote repeatedly denied by Westminster.
Yet, the movement suffered a blow in 2022 when the Supreme Court ruled the Scottish Parliament did not have the legislative power to hold a unilateral referendum.
Asked how he will deliver independence on the show today, Mr Swinney said he would bring people together to show there is a "clear and demonstrable" consensus in Scotland to become independent from the rest the UK.
He said: 'What I want to do is bring Scotland together because Scotland is currently stuck, essentially because there's an aspiration in Scotland for us to have independence…but we have not got the means to achieve that because of the stances being taken by the United Kingdom government and I want to make sure is I bring people together sufficiently so there's a compelling voice for independence in Scotland.'
Mr Swinney said the run up to the 1997 election in Scotland showed a 'demonstrable and clear' consensus of opinion that the country should have its own parliament.
'What I want to make sure is I lead the debate in Scotland in a way that brings people together to reach that conclusion that independence represents the best way forward for Scotland and that we should have the right to choose that," he added.
Mr Swinney said it 'completely unacceptable' that the democratic aspirations of a very large number of people in Scotland to be thwarted by a Westminster government.
'It was unacceptable in 1997 and it's unacceptable now,' he said.
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Following poor general election results for the SNP in July, Mr Swinney said he has given leadership to his party which has led to an 'improvement in our fortunes' as recent polling shows the SNP are likely to remain the top party in Holyrood.
The First Minister said: 'People in the SNP looked into the abyss of our difficulties a year ago and resolved to come together, to work together, to strengthen the party and that's what everyone has done."
Mr Swinney also said he was 'pleased' to hear former first minister Nicola Sturgeon 'setting out her perspective' on the Supreme Court ruling on the legal definition of a woman under the Equality Act.
Moments before Mr Swinney announced his programme for government, Ms Sturgeon told journalists in Holyrood that the lives of transgender people are at risk of being made almost unliveable following the judgment.
Questioned on his reaction to this today, Mr Swinney said: 'I agree with her perspective that it is important that the rights of everybody in Scotland, and that includes trans people, are properly and fully respected and that's indeed what the Supreme Court judgment said to us."
His comments come as trans women are now no longer be able to use the women's toilets in the Scottish Parliament building.
Facilities designated as male or female-only would now be interpreted as meaning biological sex, the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body (SPCB) has said.
Holyrood is installing new gender neutral toilets which will be open to anyone.
The First Minister said 'some' of the steps around acting upon the Supreme Court ruling will have to wait until final guidance from the EHRC is published.
'We're engaging with the Equalities and Human Rights Commission and we're also undertaking in internal review work which is required to make sure we always live within the law which is an absolutely solemn commitment that my government makes to the people of Scotland.'
However, the Scottish Tories have hit out at the First Minister's, accusing him of only caring about "fringe issues" and independence.
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton MSP said: 'John Swinney has some brass neck claiming his party is focused on the priorities of the people of Scotland.
'His remarks today show that he only cares about fringe gender issues and independence – which he said would be central to his party's 2026 election campaign.
'He had a chance to ditch his party's obsession with gender self-ID and say sorry to women across Scotland. Instead, he backed Nicola Sturgeon to the hilt. She's still calling the shots — and he's still following orders.
'From record high NHS waiting lists to plummeting educational standards, John Swinney's fingerprints are all over the nationalists' record of failure, but he's trying to pretend that he's not the same person who has been sat round the SNP cabinet table for nearly two decades.
'While the SNP obsess over the same fringe issues, the Scottish Conservatives, under Russell Findlay's leadership, will focus on bringing down bills, faster GP appointments, improving schools, fixing roads, and delivering better value for money.'