01-08-2025
Revealed: The full text of SNP's independence strategy
Titled "Winning Independence" and signed off by First Minister John Swinney and [[SNP]] depute leader Keith Brown (below), the motion says an [[SNP]] majority will be a "clear target" in next year's Holyrood election if a fresh indy push is to succeed.
The text reads: "An SNP majority in that election, repeating the precedent of 2011, is the only uncontested route to delivering a new referendum."
It also pledges support for for the "immediate establishment" of a Constitutional Convention, set to involve "gathering support from the people of Scotland, civic bodies and international opinion", as revealed by The National earlier this week.
In July, The National exclusively revealed Swinney's renewed independence plan – based upon building support for leaving the Union, putting pressure on Westminster over its democratic failures around a second referendum, and securing a solid win for the [[SNP]] in 2026.
This week, Swinney set out further that an emphatic win for the SNP would have to be defined as a majority in Holyrood, something very difficult to achieve in a Parliament not designed to produce majorities under a proportionally representative voting system.
READ MORE: Scottish politicians unfollow Unionist group after 'bomb Holyrood' Twitter/X post
The announcement has proved controversial, with other pro-independence parties frustrated that the path to self-determination is being decided by the SNP alone.
Ross Greer of the Scottish Greens said the bid was more about "self-preservation" for Swinney's party, while Alba branded the strategy "cynical".
After Alba chief Kenny MacAskill described the [[SNP]] plan as "unachievable", former [[SNP]] MSP Gil Paterson also chimed in, writing on Twitter/X: "I have no option but to agree entirely with [[Kenny MacAskill]]. The [[SNP]] leadership would be wise to reconsider its position urgently."
Meanwhile around 43 branches of the SNP are backing a challenge to the proposals. They are set to meet in Perth on August 9 to strategise on amendments opposing the requirement for an [[SNP]] majority, with a preference of securing majority support for pro-independence parties on the list vote next year.
Below, you can read Swinney and Brown's conference motion in full.
Winning Independence
Conference agrees that the 2026 Scottish Parliament election will be fought by the Scottish National Party on a clear platform of national independence because only Independence is the change that will significantly improve the lives and life chances of the people of Scotland.
Conference notes that events since the 2014 referendum have only served to confirm the validity of the case that was made then, with people across Scotland continuing to be devastated by a Westminster system that squeezes family incomes, in particular through sky-high energy bills and rising food costs; with Scotland little more than an afterthought within the UK with its economic model that prioritises jobs, wealth and opportunities in London and the south-east, and which delivers a disproportionate benefit for a very few who are already very rich; and with a Britain that has been broken by Brexit, is isolated in Europe, and can never deliver on the hopes, dreams and ambitions of the people of Scotland, who have had seen rights and opportunities they previously enjoyed removed.
