John Swinney is under mounting pressure from within the SNP after the party lost a key Holyrood seat to Scottish Labour in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse byelection. Activists and senior figures have criticised the campaign as 'disastrous', with some accusing the leadership of panicking and pushing voters towards Reform UK.
The byelection saw Labour's Davy Russell defeat the SNP's Katy Loudon by 600 votes, with Reform UK's Ross Lambie a further 800 votes behind. The SNP's strategy focused on framing the contest as a two-horse race between the Nationalists and Reform, a move that former MP Tommy Sheppard branded a 'disaster'. He argued the party effectively promoted Reform as a serious contender.
Internal discontent has surfaced at branch meetings and is expected to culminate in robust questioning at the SNP's national executive committee meeting on Sunday. One experienced campaigner said members are willing to give Swinney time to reflect, but warned that if he 'digs his heels in around strategy and doesn't listen, it will be a very different mood'.
At a 'fractious' MSP group meeting on Tuesday, Swinney defended the Reform-focused strategy as reflecting doorstep feedback. However, a senior backbencher suggested he had 'panicked' after Reform secured 26% of the vote, particularly following their strong showing in English council elections. 'He talked about Reform too much and not enough about Katy. We didn't give people a reason to vote for us,' the backbencher said.
Former SNP MP Stewart McDonald praised Swinney for bringing calm after turbulent years but urged him to give the party and government 'a renewed sense of purpose'. He called for modernising the party's campaign infrastructure and a 'laserlike focus on making Scotland better' to counter Reform's appeal. Another former MP warned: 'It's either that or lose the next election. This is the last-chance saloon.'
In a modest reshuffle on Wednesday, Swinney promoted Màiri McAllan to cabinet secretary for housing, signalling a renewed focus on voter priorities ahead of next May's Holyrood elections. Despite the backlash, some note that internal divisions are less severe than under previous leaders Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf.
