A GROUP of SNP rebels have amended their independence plan and set a date for Scottish independence after their initial proposal was dropped from debate at the annual conference this autumn.
Reports from The Herald show the group intends to submit a revised proposal to a party committee which could amend First Minister John Swinney’s own plans if accepted.
The updated plan will reportedly still argue that a majority of list votes for pro-independence parties during the 2026 Holyrood elections would secure a mandate for negotiations with the UK Government, whilst setting May 1, 2027 as the proposed date for Scotland becoming an independent nation.
SNP members in Tweeddale, Helensburgh and Oban and Lorn drafted the plan, with their branches being behind the initial proposal.
The timeline proposed for achieving independence would be shorter than those given by senior SNP officials, with “independence day” occurring less than a year after the Holyrood election on May 7, 2026.
The original motion dismissed by the SNP's conference committee read: “Conference instructs the Party to prioritise obtaining a mandate from the sovereign Scottish people to deliver independence.
“This will be possible by achieving a majority of the popular vote on the sum of the Independence Supporting Parties’ List Votes in the 2026 Scottish parliamentary election."
Swinney (below) has faced backlash from SNP grassroots after the rival independence strategy was blocked from the party’s annual conference agenda in Aberdeen this October.
A draft agenda shows the motion was not selected, despite members warning it would be a “litmus test” for internal democracy. The party’s conference committee, which determines the agenda, dismissed the resolution – angering many members.
“John Swinney said he would listen to members. He hasn’t,” one activist told The Herald.
“If there’s a disagreement, conference should decide. Blocking debate ignores party democracy.”
Another supporter added: “I am absolutely seething. I’ve never seen a motion with so much support brushed aside.”
The rebel plan has been backed by Alba and the Scottish Greens.
Swinney told STV this week he opposes the proposal, saying: “I don’t agree with it and I don’t think it will work.”
While open to debate, he said similar strategies in 2016 and 2021 failed to break the political deadlock.
He argued the SNP’s plan – securing a majority at Holyrood – offers the best route to achieving “domestic and international legitimacy” for independence.
A party source previously downplayed the grassroots plan, calling it a contradiction to the leadership’s position. The conference committee will make a final decision on the motion’s fate after September 5.
The SNP have been approached for comment.
