John Swinney has pledged to “turn the heat up” on the UK Government to allow a second independence referendum as part of his latest strategy to achieve separation.
Writing in the National newspaper on Friday, the Scottish First Minister pledged to increase support for Scotland leaving the UK and stressed the importance of supporters of independence backing the SNP at next year’s Holyrood election.
Since the first vote in 2014, successive UK governments have repeatedly turned down calls for a second referendum, with the UK Supreme Court ruling in 2022 that only Westminster can allow another poll.
The First Minister pledged to mobilise support around the calling of another vote, though Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is extremely unlikely to back down.
The first point of the three-part plan outlined by Mr Swinney – who has been feeling some pressure since the SNP lost in June the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election to up his push for independence – focuses on increasing support for leaving the UK.
“First, it will be a campaign designed to build the highest levels of support possible for independence as the best future for Scotland,” he wrote.
“I will be saying to those who voted Yes in 2014, and who have become independence supporters in the years since, that what they believed in then is just as valid today.
“They saw that Britain was fundamentally broken, that Westminster couldn’t deliver on their dreams and aspirations, and what they saw has come to pass. And now it is time to do something about it.
“But I will also be urging people who were not persuaded of the merits of independence in 2014 to see the state of Britain today and take a different view.”
Since taking over as SNP leader for the second time, Mr Swinney has stressed the need to increase consistent support for independence before a referendum can be pushed for, saying in a speech in January the idea has to become a “compelling proposition” for Scots.
The second point of his new plan, the First Minister said, is to put pressure on Westminster.
“Second, that means building public pressure around Scotland’s fundamental national rights,” he wrote.
“The UK parties speak of a partnership of equals, but those are empty words if Scotland does not have the ability to determine her own future.
“We are ready to turn the heat up on Westminster and its anti-democratic stance, mobilising the support, energy and the impetus of people in Scotland behind the simple idea: no ifs, no buts, Scotland has the right to choose.”
The third point of the strategy is to deliver an “emphatic win” for the SNP in next year’s Holyrood election.
“I want to persuade independence supporters that the way to deliver independence is only with an emphatic SNP win in 2026 and the priority is to do that now,” he wrote.
“History tells us that only when the SNP is doing well is there any prospect of advancing on Scotland’s constitutional cause.
“During the next Parliament we reach the point where there will be one million people eligible to vote who, last time around, were too young to do so or not even born. A generation has now clearly passed.
“It’s time for the one change that will actually make a difference for Scotland, for the fresh start our nation needs so badly. It’s time for Scotland to craft her destiny by ensuring Scotland’s future is in the hands of the people of Scotland.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie accused the First Minister of hitting the “independence panic button”, claiming Scots will be “shaking their heads”.
She added: “Twenty-five 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.”
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said: “Scots are scunnered with John Swinney and 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.
“Patients cannot get a GP appointment, our economy is flatlining, and standards have plummeted in our schools.
“That is what John Swinney should be focusing on, rather than rehashing the same old arguments on independence that Scots are not interested in.”
Neale Hanvey, the depute leader of the Alba Party, described Mr Swinney’s plan as “utterly hollow”, adding: “There’s no strategy there, just the same old song of waiting for the right moment, hoping for a miracle.”
