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Swinney Vows to Remain First Minister if He Wins Election without SNP Majority
John Swinney pledges to lead SNP regardless of majority, aiming for 65 seats needed to push Scottish independence, amid opposition refusal to sanction a referendum.
- John Swinney said on the BBC's Sunday Show that he will remain First Minister even without an SNP majority at next year's Holyrood election, saying `It would be kind of funny if I won the election then resigned.`
- On Saturday, SNP conference delegates in Aberdeen endorsed Mr Swinney's independence plan tying a referendum mandate to an SNP majority, backing the goal of winning 65 seats at the Scottish Parliament.
- The UK minister said the independence push is a diversion from `a horrifically bad record on Scotland's public services`, and compared Swinney to the `Grand Old Duke of York`.
- The UK Government's refusal to approve another referendum stands, the Scottish Secretary told the programme, noting Labour's July 2024 manifesto rejects independence and he will adhere to that mandate.
- John Swinney framed his position as a long-term commitment to lead the Scottish National Party, saying `I'm here for the long haul to lead the SNP and deliver for the people of Scotland` and acknowledging `nothing worth achieving is ever going to be easy`.
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Swinney vows to remain First Minister if he wins election without SNP majority - Rother Radio
John Swinney has said he will not step down if he wins next year’s Holyrood election but fails to achieve an SNP majority. Delegates at the SNP conference backed the First Minister’s independence plans on Saturday, which base the mandate for another vote on independence on an SNP majority at the next election. Within minutes of the plans passing, SNP depute leader Keith Brown said the First Minister is “staking his premiership on winning indepen…
Coverage Details
Total News Sources25
Leaning Left5Leaning Right0Center15Last UpdatedBias Distribution75% Center
Bias Distribution
- 75% of the sources are Center
75% Center
L 25%
C 75%
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