SNP Westminster Leader Declares Party 'Within Touching Distance' of Holyrood Majority
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has boldly asserted that his party is 'within touching distance' of securing an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament. He made this striking claim while addressing the SNP's campaign conference in Edinburgh, with Holyrood elections now less than two months away.
A Fresh Start with Independence
Flynn insisted that achieving such a majority would provide Scotland with 'a fresh start with independence'. He contrasted what he described as the 'chaos' and 'permanent pattern' of Westminster governance with the 'calm, thoughtful and trusted leadership' of Scotland's First Minister John Swinney. Flynn emphasised that Swinney is 'by far and away the best candidate for first minister' in the upcoming election.
Targeting a Majority for Independence
With First Minister John Swinney having set the explicit target of the SNP winning an overall majority on May 7 to force a second independence referendum, Flynn reinforced this ambition. He declared the party is 'within touching distance of the majority that will give our nation a fresh start with independence'. While acknowledging Scotland as 'a wee nation', he argued its aspirations are 'far bigger than the confines of this union' and that independence would allow Scotland to return 'back home in the European Union'.
Attacks on Westminster and Labour
In his speech, Flynn launched a scathing critique of Westminster politics, stating: 'I don't want to live in the relic of Thatcher and Blair's Britain. I don't want to live in Starmer's Britain. I certainly don't want to live in Farage's Britain.' He urged supporters that 'if we want a different future, if we want change, then we need to create it for ourselves'.
Flynn specifically targeted Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, criticising his appointment of Peter Mandelson as UK ambassador to the US. He highlighted Mandelson's links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, calling it a 'Labour Party scandal to its very core'. Flynn alleged that the decision to eventually cut ties with Mandelson was 'nothing to do with the victims' but rather 'all about trying to save Keir Starmer', whom he labelled 'the most gullible former director of public prosecutions in history'.
Scottish Conservative Response
Scottish Conservative deputy leader Rachael Hamilton responded forcefully, claiming Flynn's speech demonstrated that 'the SNP only care about one thing, breaking up the United Kingdom'. She warned: 'He was crystal clear, if the SNP get a majority at the next election, they'll use secret tactics to secure another divisive independence referendum. This isn't a distant threat, the danger is very real. The future of the Union is on the line.' Hamilton reaffirmed the Scottish Conservatives' commitment to blocking an SNP majority, as they did in 2016 and 2021, and to defending Scotland's place in the United Kingdom.
The stage is now set for a fiercely contested election campaign, with the SNP positioning a potential majority as a direct pathway to independence, while unionist parties mobilise to prevent what they see as a threat to the Union's stability.
