Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney has asserted that an SNP majority in the Scottish Parliament is essential to secure a second independence referendum.
Swinney stated that pursuing independence will be central to the SNP’s campaign in the 2026 Holyrood election.
Currently, the SNP holds 60 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament. Achieving a majority would require the party to win at least 65 seats.
Speaking to BBC Scotland News, Swinney’s comments come ahead of a scheduled meeting with US President Donald Trump during the latter’s visit to Scotland.
“We’ve got to put a priority on securing independence,” the First Minister stated.
“We do that by electing a majority of SNP MSPs to the Scottish Parliament and then taking forward the democratic path to independence which will secure the future of our country.”
Swinney argued that a second referendum would enable the SNP to leverage “Scotland’s energy wealth for Scotland” and implement “fair and equitable” reforms to the welfare system.
“It only happens if we have that referendum and we only get that referendum if a majority of SNP MSPs are elected next May,” he emphasized.
The SNP’s majority victory in the 2011 Scottish Parliament elections paved the way for the 2014 independence referendum.
Swinney suggested that a similar majority in 2026 would exert comparable pressure on the UK Government.
He added, “There’s no UK prime minister that can sit around and essentially deny the democratic wishes of the people of Scotland.”
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is also in Scotland for meetings, including one with Donald Trump.
Both Swinney and Starmer are expected to attend a private dinner with the US President.
Meanwhile, former SNP health secretary Alex Neil has voiced criticism of Swinney’s independence strategy.
Speaking to BBC Scotland News, Neil contended that the SNP’s popularity has waned since 2011 and that the party has “lost its reputation for good government.”
He characterized the strategy as being “more about trying to save the SNP’s bacon” than achieving independence.
Labour and the Conservatives have also criticized Swinney’s statements.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie asserted that the SNP has “lost its way and ran out of ideas.”
She said: “John Swinney can’t end his own obsession with division, and today has confirmed he’ll put Scots second to appease his own party.”
“From the crisis in our NHS to the violence in our schools, the SNP has left every institution in Scotland weaker.”
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton said people were “sick and tired” with Swinney’s “obsession” with breaking up the UK.
She added: ” In a bid to silence internal critics of his weak leadership, he has thrown diehard nationalists some more red meat on the one issue they all agree on, independence.”
This is quite a big moment, as John Swinney is setting a very high bar for a second referendum.
Polls suggest the SNP is currently falling short of an outright majority, with the 2026 election looming. In fact, losing seats (while remaining the largest party) looks more likely on current trends.
So why is John Swinney doing this? Well, the idea of independence is currently more popular than the SNP. So it’s logical to tie his party as closely to that cause as possible.
And he wants to dissuade pro-independence Scottish voters from looking towards other parties which back leaving the UK.
Though it’s a risky strategy. If he falls short of a majority in 2026, it looks like independence will have to take a back seat for a while.
And, regardless of result, what if the UK government just says “no”? It’s unclear where the first minister would go from there.
As the world’s eyes turn to Scotland, John Swinney points to a new strategy for independence.
The US President is in Scotland for a four-day private visit, which includes the opening of a second golf course at his Aberdeenshire resort.
There will be a huge security operation when the US president makes his first visit to the UK since his re-election.
The US president will be playing golf as well as meeting the prime minister and first minister for talks.
The SNP’s former Westminster deputy leader said she disagreed with the party’s stance on trans rights and Palestine.