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Telegraph
2 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
SNP rebels ‘plot to oust leader' after by-election defeat
SNP rebels are plotting to oust their leader after the party's by-election defeat last week. Twenty-five senior SNP figures are said to have held a meeting on Monday night to discuss removing John Swinney, the First Minister of Scotland, as party leader, barely a year after he succeeded Humza Yousaf. The Herald newspaper suggested Mr Swinney might face a leadership challenge at the SNP conference in October if he did not come up with a new strategy to achieve Scottish independence in the next two weeks. The row erupted as Mr Swinney conducted a mini-reshuffle of his front-bench team following the death of Christine McKelvie, the drugs minister, which triggered a Scottish Parliament by-election in her Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse constituency. The SNP were hot favourites to win the contest, but Labour pulled off a surprise victory. The defeat followed Labour's rout of the SNP in last year's general election, also under Mr Swinney's leadership. Alex Neil, a former SNP health secretary, said Mr Swinney should be replaced. Labour criticised the First Minister for running a 'dishonest' by-election by claiming voters faced a 'two-horse race' between the SNP and Reform UK . Paul McLennan, the SNP housing minister before the reshuffle, also attacked the party's 'negative' campaign, saying it should have been focused on 'giving people reasons to vote for the SNP, not against Reform'. Mr Swinney initially won praise for overseeing a recovery in the SNP's fortunes, following the troubled final months of Nicola Sturgeon's premiership and Mr Yousaf's chaotic tenure. However, he angered hard-line Nationalists by warning that support for independence would have to increase to more than 60 per cent to force the UK Government to allow another referendum. The Herald said there was a unanimous view at the rebels' meeting that the First Minister had 'no intention of putting independence anywhere near the party's narrative whatsoever'. 'If there is nothing in the next couple of weeks from the leadership, then conference will be a bloodbath,' a source said. Under SNP rules, any member who can secure 100 nominations from 20 different branches ahead of party conference can trigger a leadership vote. Rank-and-file challenger? Although the source doubted that an MP or MSP would challenge Mr Swinney for the leadership, they said a rank-and-file activist could come forward and any contest would be 'hugely damning and damaging, and make the party look utterly ridiculous'. They also warned that the rebel faction could attempt to use internal elections to seize key positions on the SNP's ruling national executive committee (NEC) such as depute leader and national secretary. An SNP insider said: 'NEC members better start looking for new hobbies unless the leadership announces a change of direction soon – because at this rate we are heading for a mass clear-out.' They said Mr Swinney had 'dropped independence' during his first ill-fated stint as party leader, between 2000 and 2004, and that had ended in 'a bruising defeat' at the ballot box. 'The ability to make the case for independence is not a desirable part of the job description – it is essential – and he has failed on probation,' they said. 'The Presbyterian schoolmaster might fly in Perthshire – but in the rest of Scotland it just does not land. Stabilising the party only works for a short time. There is no energy, no fire, no boldness, no long-term vision.' Starmer: Scots want change In the House of Commons, Joani Reid, the Labour MP for East Kilbride and Strathaven, raised the SNP's by-election defeat and the reports of plotting against Mr Swinney at Prime Minister's Questions. To laughter, she asked Sir Keir Starmer: 'Does he agree with me that a leader who has only ever lost elections to the Labour Party should stay put?' The Prime Minister said: 'After nearly two decades in power, the SNP got their verdict last Thursday. Scotland wants change, and they know the SNP are completely out of ideas. That is why they want a Labour Government to deliver real change.' An SNP spokesman said: 'Since John Swinney became leader last year he has brought the SNP back together and the party is back to doing what it does best – standing up for the people of Scotland. 'In the run-up to next year's Scottish Parliament election, the SNP will continue to deliver for people across the country, while setting out a clear and hopeful vision for their future as an independent country.'
Telegraph
06-06-2025
- Business
- Telegraph
Relief for now – but Reform are breathing down Starmer's neck
Few would have been surprised if the SNP had managed to hold onto the seat previously held by the respected and late MSP, Christine McKelvie. Swinney, with his dull but reassuring bank manager persona, has steadied the nationalist ship after a couple of turbulent years during which Nicola Sturgeon resigned in the midst of a police investigation into party finances, her estranged husband was charged with embezzlement and Humza Yousaf, Sturgeon's successor, was forced out of office after barely a year in Bute House. Sarwar desperately needed his party to pull off a win in order to keep Scottish Labour's chances at next year's Holyrood elections alive. And that is what it's done. The SNP, meanwhile, will be worried about what this result will mean for dozens of SNP seats which will now feel all the more vulnerable to a Labour revival. The memories of election night last July, when the nationalists lost 39 of its 48 seats – 36 of them directly to Labour – still haunt the party. As for Reform, it shouldn't be overlooked that it came a respectable third with 26 per cent of the vote – just five per cent behind the winning score and only three per cent behind the SNP. Were it not for both the main parties' considerable advantage in terms of organisation – both have years of local canvass records for the area and can rely on the efforts of seasoned organisers – Reform might have expected to do better. As it is, third place in Hamilton, Stonehouse and Larkhall makes life extremely uncomfortable for all the other parties. Labour and the SNP will lose much sleep between now and next May as they try to work out which of them will lose more support to Nigel Farage's party when the new Scottish parliament is elected. Reform's presence could well transform the electoral map, even if the party itself doesn't pick up any first-past-the-post seats. It is in the proportional list part of the election where Reform is expected to do better, possibly at the expense of both the Greens and the Conservatives. For new Scottish Tory leader, Russel Findlay, his party's fourth place with six per cent of the vote is confirmation that it simply cannot compete for power at Holyrood. The voters of Lanarkshire have shown they are willing to flirt with a Right-wing party, but the Conservative brand remains too toxic for most Scots to contemplate. It was a satisfying night for Reform, a worrying one for the SNP and a deeply disappointing one for the Scottish Conservatives. As for Labour, its leader in Scotland may be happy, but it is his boss in Downing Street who will be even more relieved. For no one can doubt that the loss of a crucial by-election at this stage in the electoral cycle would have been laid at his door.
Scotsman
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Scotsman
Nigel Farage's Reform UK continues to outspend rivals in online by-election battle
Sign up to our Politics newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Reform is continuing to outspend Scotland's main political parties as part of its social media push ahead of this week's Holyrood by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, according to an analysis by The Scotsman. Nigel Farage's party has heavily backed its contentious online campaign to seize the seat formerly held by the late Christine McKelvie, spending up to £20,000 on digital ads across Facebook and Instagram. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad While no other party has come close to matching Reform's outlay on Meta ads, Scottish Labour has focused its efforts elsewhere, spending up to £18,000 on YouTube and Google ads. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage | PA Since Reform's contentious ad began running on Meta's platforms on 12 May, the party's spending on it has reached between £15,000 and £20,000, up from an estimated £9,000 to £10,000 a week ago. For that outlay, its message attacking Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, which targets voters in Hamilton and Larkhall, has received between 800,000 and 900,000 impressions. The ad in question, which claims Mr Sarwar will 'prioritise the Pakistani community,' has been the subject of cross-party condemnation, with Scottish Labour and the SNP making formal complaints to Meta, Facebook's parent company, about the video. Both have called it racist. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Kate Dommet, a professor in digital politics at the University of Sheffield, told The Scotsman that Reform's activities on Facebook were not surprising, pointing out that compared to its electoral rivals, it lacked traditional campaign infrastructure. Compared to the other mainstream Scottish political parties, the SNP has spent the most on Meta ads ahead of Thursday's by-election, having ramped up its digital campaign in recent days. However, the overall figure still lags behind that incurred by Mr Farage's party. According to the Meta ad library, the party ran 15 ads throughout May promoting its candidate, Katy Loudon, 13 of which went live last Friday. Its total outlay stands at around £4,700 to £6,000. By contrast, a Scottish Conservative Meta ad campaign promoting its candidate, Richard Nelson, has been backed by a spend of just £100 to £199, according to the site. The ad, which has run across both Facebook and Instagram, has garnered an estimated 8,000 to 9,000 impressions. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Scottish Labour has not run any political ads on Meta dedicated to the Hamilton by-election, instead spending between £1,500 and £1,900 on two other adverts - one focused on the SNP's record on the NHS, the other on a West Dunbartonshire Council by-election that was won by the SNP, with Reform pipping Scottish Labour to second. The Scottish Greens have spent less than £300 on Meta ads this month, although none of them specifically focused on the by-election, while the Scottish Liberal Democrats have not run any ads on Meta since July 2024. The picture is decidedly different when it comes to the parties' use of Google ads, which take the form of sponsored links on search engines and advertisements running on YouTube. Scottish Labour launched 67 such ads throughout May, spending around £14,700 to £18,100, according to the Google ads transparency centre. Its two most recent video ads, which warn that a vote for Reform helps the SNP, cost the party between £2,000 and £3,000, and were shown hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The SNP has run three YouTube ads promoting Ms Loudon's candidacy at an overall cost of between £2,750 and £3,800. Neither Reform nor any of the other parties contesting the by-election spent on Google ads. Mr Farage is expected to visit Aberdeen and Hamilton today as the by-election campaign enters its final days. First Minister John Swinney said the Reform leader 'doesn't care about Scotland', adding: 'He poses a threat to our values and must be stopped, and only the SNP can do that. In this by-election, the SNP is the only party investing in Scotland's future, delivering for families and confronting Farage.' Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said the by election is 'a chance to call time on SNP failure and chart a new direction for the whole of Scotland'. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad She added: 'Ignore the desperate spin of Reform and the SNP – this by-election is a direct fight between Scottish Labour and the SNP. We have three days to put this failing SNP government on notice and start the journey towards a better future for Scotland.' Elsewhere, Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay said he wanted to see the SNP out of power at next year's Holyrood election for the 'collective good of society'. Speaking to Holyrood magazine, the former journalist insisted he would 'never, ever work with the SNP' – but said it would be 'silly to say no' to potential deals with either Labour or the Liberal Democrats. 'Despite John Swinney having a spring in his step and this sudden belief that he's going to hang about for a decade, we need to get them out for the collective good of society, we need to get the SNP out of power,' Mr Findlay said. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He criticised the SNP's handling of government finances, accusing the party of 'gargantuan' waste. He said: 'The mis-spending in Scotland is utterly ridiculous and I think any serious political party, any credible government, will be able to identify that and do something about it.
