Latest news with #ScottishElection
Bloomberg
3 days ago
- Politics
- Bloomberg
Reform UK's Momentum Stalled by Departures, By-Election Defeat
Nigel Farage's recent run of political success stalled after his insurgent Reform UK suffered a pair of high-profile departures and came third in a Scottish election that it had hoped might prove its broader appeal. The right-wing party saw its chairman, Zia Yusuf, quit on Thursday, saying 'I no longer believe working to get a Reform government elected is a good use of my time.' He was followed by Nathaniel Fried, who had been appointed to run Reform's DOGE-style cost-cutting efforts in local councils just a week earlier.
Telegraph
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Unholy alliance of Starmer and Farage will help SNP cling on to power in Scotland
An unholy alliance of Nigel Farage and Sir Keir Starmer is set to assist John Swinney achieve his sole objective of breaking up Britain in next year's Scottish Parliament election. That was the message that came over in a series of often bitter speeches from the leaders of the three main parties as they set the ball rolling exactly one year before the latest poll for Holyrood. The threatened acrimony between the three was nowhere better highlighted than in the pitch by Scottish Tory leader Russell Findlay who claimed that Swinney was backing Nigel Farage's Reform UK because it helped his case for independence. It was, he said, the First Minister's 'dirty little secret', as every vote for Reform was a 'gift' for the SNP. John Swinney believes that Keir Starmer's policies are helping the nationalists reverse last year's general election result. It's also now crystal clear that First Minister John Swinney believes that Starmer's unpopular UK Labour policies on withdrawing winter fuel payments and increased energy charges are also helping the nationalists reverse last year's general election result. Last July they lost 38 seats to Labour but now new polls suggest that the SNP are favourites to emerge as the biggest party in the Holyrood election one year from now. And while he continues to publicly attack Farage's Reform UK party, there is no doubt that the more votes Reform takes off both Tory and Labour, the better it will be for Farage's candidates. Tory election strategists have accused Swinney of 'weaponising' Reform and a new poll suggest that the SNP will be major winners in next year's Holyrood vote, with Reform emerging as the runners up, Labour third and the Tories a distant fourth. As one senior Conservative commented: 'All Reform is doing is splitting the Unionist vote and making it easier for the nationalists.' And the Scottish Tory leader claimed that Swinney didn't want to confront Reform, but to help them, adding: 'It's John Swinney's dirty little secret. Publicly he pretends to despise them – privately he adores them. A vote for Reform is a gift to the SNP.' Exactly one year before the polls open on the May 7 vote for the Holyrood assembly, the leaders of the three main parties set out their stalls about how they'll campaign. There was precious little from the First Minister in defence of his record in government, perhaps because in key issues such as the NHS, education and drug deaths the SNP government has been under almost constant attack. Instead, Swinney focused almost entirely on the record of Keir Starmer's UK Labour Government which had seen winter fuel payments cut and energy and business taxes had increased. And he also made it plain that if he did win a majority in next year's Holyrood election he would again focus on achieving a second independence referendum – indyref2 – which he said would be 'a win for Scotland'. Furthermore, he made much of the UK Government's decision to save jobs at the steel plant at Scunthorpe, in England, while 'ignoring' job losses at the oil refinery in Grangemouth, in Scotland. He insisted that independence would allow Scotland to sit at the 'top table' of European nations but I can't be the only one who reckons that Scotland is already top of another table – for drug deaths.
The Independent
07-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Farage may not be in office but he is very much in power, says Swinney
John Swinney has said Nigel Farage is 'very much in power' at Westminster despite not being in office, as he gathered his candidates a year ahead of the Scottish election. The Reform UK leader featured prominently in the First Minister's speech, as he said Sir Keir Starmer had 'opened the door' for Mr Farage and claimed only the SNP would confront him. Mr Swinney's party also revealed their slogan ahead of the Scottish Parliament election in a year's time – On Scotland's Side. The First Minister spoke to a crowd of supporters in Edinburgh as he was joined on stage by the SNP candidates who will be running in constituencies next year. This group will include a contingent of former SNP MPs who lost their Westminster seats at the general election. Mr Swinney began his speech by urging party members to pay tribute to SNP MSP Christina McKelvie, who died recently, by campaigning in her constituency's by-election and helping to 'fulfil her dream of an independent Scotland'. He reflected on his first year in office as First Minister, saying: 'We know that when the SNP does well, Scotland does well. 'So let us resolve today – in 2026, the SNP are going to win for Scotland.' He set out the SNP's recent policies in government, including the pledge to mitigate the two-child benefit cap and ensuring a winter fuel payment for pensioners. Mr Swinney said last week's election results in England should be a 'wake-up call' and it is 'no longer fanciful to suggest that Nigel Farage could be prime minister in a few years'. He said: 'Keir Starmer and the Labour party have opened the door to Farage. 'Because they have failed to stand up to him. 'Dancing to Farage's tune on immigration. Too scared to admit Brexit has been a disaster … 'At Westminster, Nigel Farage may not be in office - but he is very much in power.' He added: 'We will never do any deals with Farage. 'Only the SNP will confront Farage and defeat Farage.' Mr Swinney said he wanted to see an 'enterprising, outward-looking and compassionate Scotland' with the powers of independence. There were cheers from supporters when he said he wanted to see 'human rights, including LGBTQI+ rights, not as something to denigrate, but as the bedrock of a society'. Mr Swinney continued: 'A year today, I don't just want to win - I want us to shift the tectonic plates of Scottish politics and create a wave of hope that will overcome Westminster's wall of despair.' Taking questions from journalists, Mr Swinney said there is 'nothing attractive' about the rise of Reform, even in constituencies where it may hinder his opponents. He later suggested Mr Farage's politics would push more people towards supporting Scottish independence, saying the Reform UK leader is a 'different kettle of fish' to Tory leaders like Boris Johnson and the 'antithesis of kindness'. In April, Mr Swinney chaired a summit to battle the rise of the far right, which he said included Reform UK. Other political parties, including Labour, attended the summit but the Conservatives did not take part. In response, Reform UK – which was not invited – described the SNP leader as a 'democracy denier' and accused him of being scared of the party's popularity.
