The Scottish National Party (SNP) has launched its campaign for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election with a renewed and contentious focus on independence, setting the stage for a political showdown that has drawn both passionate support and fierce criticism from within and outside the party. On October 11, 2025, First Minister John Swinney kicked off the SNP’s annual conference in Aberdeen by pledging to spend “every day” until the next election advancing the case for Scottish independence—a vow that has quickly become the lightning rod for debate across Scotland’s political spectrum.
According to reports from The Daily Mail, Swinney’s strategy centers on the assertion that if a majority of SNP Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs) are elected at Holyrood in May 2026, it should serve as a mandate for independence. This proposal, put forward on the opening day of the conference, was overwhelmingly backed by party delegates, who rejected alternative suggestions—most notably, the idea that a combined majority of all pro-independence parties should trigger such a mandate. Swinney’s approach, while unifying for some, has stoked significant dissent among others.
“I did not take on this leadership to make a difference at the margins… I took on the leadership to deliver independence and that’s exactly what I’m going to do for Scotland,” Swinney declared in his keynote address. He added, “Uniting behind it, spending every day between now and May advancing the case that independence is the fresh start we need.” Swinney’s confidence was palpable as he told delegates, “We are within touching distance of the 65 seats that will make the world sit up and take notice.”
But not everyone was convinced. Opposition parties wasted no time in lambasting the SNP’s priorities. Scottish Conservatives deputy leader Rachael Hamilton accused the party of indulging in a “fantasy,” arguing, “The SNP showed themselves in their true colours at this debate, ludicrously labelling the same old obsession with independence ‘a fresh start’.” She went further, saying, “Even on the one thing they always put first, they were squabbling like Nats in a sack over which version of this fantasy to back.” Hamilton’s remarks, as reported by The Daily Mail and The Scottish Sun, underscored the deep divisions over the independence question.
Scottish Labour’s constitution spokesman Neil Bibby was equally scathing, pointing to pressing issues facing Scotland: “One person dies from a drug overdose almost every seven hours in Scotland, one in six Scots is on an NHS waiting list, violence is rising in our schools and a housing emergency is causing misery for families across the country—yet the SNP has no answers,” Bibby said. “Instead, they waste their time fighting among themselves over the constitution rather than focus on fixing Scotland’s public services. The SNP is hopelessly out of touch while services across Scotland are at breaking point.”
The internal debate within the SNP was no less heated. Graeme McCormick, a well-known party activist who previously threatened to run against Swinney, stood on stage and compared the First Minister’s “Fresh Start” independence blueprint to a “donkey.” He argued, “Talking of donkeys, the recent right to choose, the ‘Fresh Start’—that is not of merchantable quality.” McCormick’s critique, reported by The Scottish Sun, was echoed by other activists who pushed for a harder line, including styling the May election as a de facto referendum and counting a majority of all pro-independence parties as a mandate for breaking away from the UK.
Activist Derek Pretswell added fuel to the fire, questioning why Scotland should “need to plead” for permission to be independent and lamenting what he described as Scotland’s role as “Westminster’s cash cow.” His rallying cry—“Now is the day and now is the hour”—captured the frustration of those who believe the current strategy does not go far enough.
Despite the rebellion, Swinney remained steadfast. “They say a one-party majority is needed for a mandate. I say ‘challenge accepted by the SNP’,” he told delegates, making clear his intent to “beat Westminster at their own game.” Drawing on precedent, he reminded the conference that the last time the SNP won an outright majority—65 seats under Alex Salmond in 2011—it led directly to the Edinburgh Agreement and the 2014 referendum. “When the SNP win a majority, we deliver a referendum on independence,” Swinney asserted.
Backing Swinney’s proposal were SNP deputy leader Keith Brown and finance secretary Kate Forbes, both of whom emphasized the importance of a clear and credible path to independence. Brown, however, also accused the UK Government of attempting to “corrupt” the next election with its Pride in Place scheme, which allocates £20 million to 14 communities. He described the funding as “an absolute scandal of Labour MPs being told they have £20 million to spend in local constituencies by the UK Government on devolved functions in order, in my view, to try and corrupt the election next year.”
The conference’s opening also saw a rousing speech from SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn, who sought to position John Swinney’s stability and calmness as the party’s greatest strengths. According to The Scotsman, Flynn told attendees, “When it comes to fighting for Scotland’s corner, there is no party more trusted than our own. Just as there is no person, no politician, more trusted to lead our nation than John Swinney, and friends we are so very fortunate to have him as our leader.” Flynn contrasted Swinney’s leadership with what he characterized as “chaos” and “uncertainty” under Labour’s Keir Starmer and past Conservative prime ministers in Westminster.
Flynn also highlighted Swinney’s achievements over the past 18 months, including delivering a budget with record NHS investment to cut waiting times, scrapping peak rail fares for workers, and restoring winter fuel payments for pensioners. Flynn praised Swinney for putting “Scotland’s interests first by driving a deal for our whisky sector in America, saving jobs at Alexander Dennis, and showing leadership on Gaza.”
Flynn’s speech drew multiple standing ovations, particularly when he spoke about the SNP’s welcoming stance on immigration and the party’s determination to outpace Scottish Labour. He did not shy away from attacking Labour, criticizing decisions made since it took office 15 months ago, such as the closure of the Grangemouth oil refinery, employer National Insurance contributions, failure to compensate Waspi women, and the prospect of digital ID cards.
Despite the show of unity from the leadership, the party’s internal divisions were laid bare by the conference debates. Former Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill, now leader of the pro-independence Alba party, criticized the SNP for prioritizing its own electoral interests over uniting the broader independence movement. “They are putting the electoral interests of the SNP ahead of the needs of the country,” MacAskill said, warning that the current strategy effectively hands Westminster a veto over Scotland’s future.
As the SNP looks to the 2026 election, the stakes could hardly be higher. The party is betting that a clear, SNP-only majority will force Westminster to reconsider its stance on a second referendum, even as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has repeatedly ruled out another vote while he is prime minister. With public services under strain and party unity under pressure, Scotland’s political future remains as uncertain—and as fiercely contested—as ever.
