UNIONISTS have accused John Swinney of hitting the “independence panic button” in a furious response to his new three-point strategy.
In an exclusive op-ed for The National, the First Minister said that building support for independence, upping the pressure on Westminster to allow Scotland to assert its right to choose through a democratic referendum, and urging the public to vote SNP at the election would form the three prongs of his strategy.
Swinney said that the Holyrood 2026 election campaign will seek to “build the highest levels of support possible for independence as the best future for Scotland”.
In response, opposition politicians have accused the FM of using independence as a smokescreen ahead of the upcoming 2026 ballot.
Jackie Baillie, Scottish Labour deputy leader, said: “Scots will be shaking their heads at [[John Swinney]]’s latest desperate hit of the independence panic button - it's clear he's a man that's out of ideas and out of steam.
“25 years ago, the then SNP Leader, John Swinney, claimed that independence was ‘closer than ever’. Now, he is attempting to lead his troops up the hill once more - but even they don't buy it. John Swinney offers absolutely no vision and no hope for the people of Scotland.
“It is time to turn our backs on John Swinney’s old, failed politics of the past and to choose a better Scotland with better leadership.”
Elsewhere, Rachael Hamilton, deputy leader of the Scottish Tories, claimed Scots are “scunnered” with the [[SNP]]’s “endless obsession” with independence.
“The nationalists are continuing to prioritise their own interests rather than focusing on what truly impacts the lives of Scots,” she said.
“Patients cannot get a GP appointment, our economy is flatlining and standards have plummeted in our schools.
“After 18 years of monumental failure, this SNP government are tired and out of ideas. For the sake of moving Scotland forward, we must get them out next year.”
On social media, Scottish Tory MSP Stephen Kerr added: “Independence is irrelevant. Scotland has moved on – but the SNP haven't.”
Meanwhile, Alex Cole-Hamilton, Scottish LibDem leader, said: “One of the major reasons that the SNP took such a beating at last year’s general election is that people are sick of them bleating about breaking up the UK, rather than focusing on health, education and the miserable state of the Scottish economy. It seems like the First Minister is a glutton for punishment.
“John Swinney’s total faith in independence to solve every problem is delusional and out of touch.
“Hundreds of thousands of Scots are stuck on waiting lists. That’s why at next year’s election, I will choose fixing the NHS while John Swinney will choose the squabbles of the past.
“I want to urge everyone to back the Liberal Democrats using your peach-coloured regional ballot paper next May to focus on what really matters.”
On social media, Unionist account The Majority said: “The *devolved* Scottish Parliament, which you were elected to, has no ability to change the UK's constitution. You have no path to breaking up the UK. Shut up about RESERVED MATTERS and EMPTY. THE. BINS.”
On X, an account named Abolish Holyrood added: “Allowing separatists to pervert the Scottish Parliament into a platform to break up the UK must stop.”
We told how Swinney insisted that an “emphatic win” for the SNP at the Holyrood 2026 election is the way to secure independence.
The National’s columnists were unconvinced by the FM’s new strategy.
