Tory peer Ruth Davidson has strongly criticised John Swinney’s proposal to work with Sinn Fein in his bid to dismantle the United Kingdom, describing it as ‘beyond the pale’. The former Scottish Conservative leader asserted that the SNP’s pledge reveals how quickly ‘the mask slips’.
Campaigning in Rutherglen
Joining Conservative leader Russell Findlay and local candidate Annie Wells in Rutherglen, near Glasgow, yesterday, Baroness Davidson expressed her disappointment at the First Minister’s announcement. She stated: ‘I’ve known John Swinney for a long time and I never thought he’d stoop so low. He tries to portray himself as a sort of everyman-cum-bank manager but it doesn’t take long for the mask to slip, does it? To say that you would work with people like Sinn Fein to break up the United Kingdom… obviously [Sinn Fein] are the political wing of the IRA which caused destruction, violence, all of that. It’s just beyond the pale.’
Swinney’s coalition plans
Earlier this week, Mr Swinney revealed intentions to collaborate with Sinn Fein, which has historical ties to IRA terrorism, and Welsh nationalists Plaid Cymru, to ‘change the dynamics’ of the UK ‘irreversibly’. Polls suggest that next month’s election could see separatist parties triumph in Scotland and Wales, with Sinn Fein already in power in Northern Ireland.
Following Mr Swinney’s comments, Michelle O’Neill, the Sinn Fein First Minister of Northern Ireland, remarked: ‘There is a crack in terms of the Union and the disunited kingdom is very much on show. We could, in the next number of weeks, have a very historic and seismic moment.’ Sinn Fein MP John Finucane also echoed the sentiment on social media, stating: ‘Sinn Fein will work with all those parties who share the desire and pursuit of independence, including those in Scotland and Wales who want to break the shackles of Westminster rule.’
Election prospects
However, Ms Davidson argued that an SNP majority in the Holyrood elections is not a foregone conclusion, despite several polls indicating the Nationalists could secure one. YouGov predicted earlier this month that the SNP might win 67 MSPs, a five-seat majority, with Reform UK securing 20, Labour 17, and the Tories just seven. Another poll from Survation, published last week, suggested the SNP could fall short of a majority, garnering 35 per cent of constituency votes and 29 per cent on the regional list. Most polls show both Labour and the Tories returning fewer MSPs than in 2021.
Ms Davidson emphasised: ‘It’s really important for Mail on Sunday readers to know this isn’t an inevitability. There is a way to stop him, and that is using your peach ballot to vote for the Scottish Conservatives, because John Swinney can’t do anything without a majority. The fact that he arrogantly thinks he’s going to get one and that he can work with these people... let’s not give him the satisfaction. Let’s show that we can stop him.’
Wider threats to the Union
Ms Davidson, who now hosts a podcast alongside her role in the House of Lords, warned that not only the SNP but also Nigel Farage’s Reform UK pose a threat to the Union. She added: ‘The difficulty I have with what Reform have been saying [about the constitution] is they don’t seem to be able to stick to a line on this one. They’re happy to field candidates that don’t support the United Kingdom. They’re happy to be equivocal about what sort of trade-offs they’d give to the SNP, and I’m not sure the Scottish public are in a position where that’s good enough. When you’ve got John Swinney saying that he’s going to work with Plaid Cymru, he’s going to work with even Sinn Fein to try and break up the United Kingdom… he’ll work with anyone. It needs people that really believe in the United Kingdom and believe in the decision that the people of Scotland made in 2014. This was our decision. We chose to stay. We have to honour that.’
