Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has said a majority victory for the Scottish National Party (SNP) in May’s Holyrood elections would trigger a renewed push for Scottish independence, a
move he suggested could also spell trouble for Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
Speaking on Sunday, Swinney said he would treat a clear SNP majority as a mandate to demand another independence referendum. The SNP, which has governed Scotland for nearly two decades, is seeking strong backing from pro-independence voters as elections approach not only in Scotland, but also in Wales and in parts of England through local polls.
“If people in Scotland want Scotland to become independent, the SNP has got to do really well in this forthcoming election,” Swinney told Sky News, adding that a majority win would amount to a clear green light for renewed constitutional pressure.
Scotland last voted on independence in 2014, when 55% of voters chose to remain in the United Kingdom. However, nationalists argue the political landscape has fundamentally changed since the Brexit referendum two years later, which Scotland opposed by a wide margin despite being taken out of the European Union along with the rest of the UK.
The issue of a second referendum remains legally contentious. Britain’s Supreme Court has ruled that the Scottish government cannot hold another independence vote without the consent of the UK parliament at Westminster. Despite that obstacle, Swinney insisted the democratic case for another vote remains strong.
“The United Kingdom is allegedly a partnership of equals,” he said. “Scotland has a democratic right to decide our own future.”
Swinney also made a bold political prediction, suggesting that a decisive SNP victory would weaken the UK government and could even lead to Keir Starmer’s departure from office before the end of the year.
“If I win a majority,” he said, “I don’t think Keir Starmer will be the prime minister.”
With the May elections fast approaching, the independence debate is once again shaping up to be a central fault line in Scottish and UK politics. Photo by Scottish Government, Wikimedia commons.