FERGUS Ewing has announced he will stand as an independent candidate at next year’s Holyrood election.
Ewing has served as an MSP for the Inverness and Nairn constituency since 1999 and is seeking re-election for the seventh time.
In a statement, the 67-year-old said it “wasn’t an easy decision” for him to come to the decision to stand as an independent, ending more than 50 years of association with the SNP.
Ewing said he feared he’s seen Scottish Parliament “at its worst” in recent years and expressed concern about the SNP’s direction, going on to accuse the party of “deserting many of the people whose causes we used to champion.”
The former rural affairs secretary also branded the power-sharing deal with the Greens a “strategic blunder”.
In 2023, he voted against now-former Green minister Lorna Slater in a no-confidence motion, defying party whips and leading to his temporary suspension from the SNP group at Holyrood.
Ewing’s statement read: “I have seen the Scottish Parliament at its best and its worst. I fear in recent years it has been at its worst.
“This has not been an easy decision. I have taken it because I love the people of Inverness and Nairn and the people of Scotland more than my party which I have been in for more than half a century.
“I believe the SNP has lost its way and that devolution itself – presently – is letting Scotland’s people down. It doesn’t need to be this way.”
Ewing has previously disagreed with his fellow party members on several policy issues, including gender recognition reforms and support for the oil and gas industry.
He described Holyrood as “more fractious and tribal than ever before” and said “too much power rests unchecked in the hands of party leaders”.
Ewing added: “Ordinary people accept that they must work together in their own workplace – with everyone – whether they choose them as friends and allies or not,” his statement continued
“It’s time for politicians to do what the people customarily do – to work together for the interests of the nation.
“In short: It’s time for Holyrood to grow up.”
SNP leader John Swinney said he “regrets” Ewing’s decision to leave the party, adding that he commended him on all that he had achieved while serving in the Scottish Government.
He said: “It was with real sadness and deep regret that I heard of Fergus Ewing’s decision to leave the Scottish National Party.
“We have both served the SNP and the cause of independence for many years, and I commend him for all that he achieved while serving in the SNP Government until 2021.
“Fergus had the option of standing at the forthcoming election for the SNP, given his status as an approved candidate. He chose not to accept that opportunity and I regret that he has ultimately decided instead to leave the party.
“The SNP approaches the 2026 election ahead in the polls, with growing support for independence, and I am looking forward to taking our positive, ambitious vision for Scotland’s future to the people.”
Ewing is the son of Winnie Ewing, whose victory in the 1967 Hamilton by-election marked a significant milestone for the SNP and is the brother of Cowdenbeath MSP Annabelle Ewing who announced in March that she would not run for re-election in 2026.
