The year 2025 began with First Minister John Swinney setting out a hopeful vision for Scotland, promising his SNP Government would tackle child poverty, grow the economy, and improve public services. As the year closes, however, his administration is bogged down in what may be its most bizarre scandal yet, capping twelve months marked by political ineptitude, policy reversals, and significant shifts in the Scottish political landscape.
A Year of Broken Promises and Policy Reversals
In January, against a backdrop of a struggling NHS grappling with winter flu and warnings of systemic underinvestment, John Swinney pledged to reduce waiting times and improve GP access, vowing to put the health service on a "path of modernisation and renewal." This commitment was swiftly undermined when, later in the year, the SNP Government scrapped its long-delayed and costly plan for a National Care Service. The abandoned proposal, which had seen over £30 million wasted, was intended to alleviate critical pressure on the NHS.
The political year was also shaped by major legal and ideological battles. In April, a Supreme Court ruling, following a case brought by For Women Scotland, delivered a landmark judgment, clarifying that in law, sex is a matter of biology, not feelings. This ruling cast a long shadow over the ongoing controversy surrounding the case of nurse Sandie Peggie versus NHS Fife.
Mrs Peggie's employment tribunal, which ran through much of the year, exposed deep fractures. The 52-year-old nurse with an unblemished record was suspended after complaining about the presence of a trans-identified doctor in a women's changing room. The tribunal eventually ruled in December that she had been harassed by NHS Fife, though the judgment was noted for its flaws, prompting plans for an appeal. The case forced a painful reckoning for many, notably Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who performed a badly-handled U-turn on women's sex-based rights, satisfying neither gender ideologues nor feminists.
Political Shifts and Electoral Tremors
2025 witnessed a significant realignment in Scottish politics, with Nigel Farage's Reform UK emerging as a serious force. A February poll showing Reform at 25% UK-wide prompted Swinney to condemn a "politics of fear" and convene an anti-far-right summit. The political change became tangible in the June by-election in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, triggered by the sad death of respected SNP MSP Christina McKelvie in March. While Labour's Davy Russell won the seat, Reform's candidate, Ross Lambie, came a very close third, signalling a major shift in voter allegiance.
This trend was solidified by high-profile defections. In August, Tory MSP Graham Simpson crossed the floor to Reform, and in December, Tory peer and former Scotland Office minister Malcolm Offord announced his defection to Reform UK, pledging to run for Holyrood. Polling by June suggested the SNP was on course to win the 2026 Holyrood election, but with Labour second and Reform a threatening third.
Internal party dynamics also shifted. Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes stunned colleagues by announcing she would not seek re-election, removing the favourite to succeed Swinney. The Scottish Greens also saw a leadership change, with Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater replaced by Ross Greer and Gillian Mackay.
Scandals, Memoirs, and a Bizarre Finale
The shadow of past scandals lingered, with March confirming that Nicola Sturgeon would face no action in the police finance probe, even as her estranged husband, Peter Murrell, appeared in court charged with embezzlement. Sturgeon re-entered the public eye in August with her memoir, 'Frankly', and a £300,000 advance. Her promotional tour, however, often saw her appear tetchy, and her unwavering commitment to trans ideology seemed increasingly out of step with public sentiment.
The year's end, however, was dominated by a fresh and extraordinary scandal. As MSPs prepared for Christmas, it emerged that a female SNP MSP had been secretly recorded by a staff member, who then leaked details. Worse still, the employee was not reported to police but was instead given a new job working for a different nationalist politician. The First Minister's office claimed Swinney knew nothing of the "whole messy business," but the episode, with its whiff of a cover-up, left the SNP looking dysfunctional as it headed into a new election year.
From January's lofty promises to December's sordid scandal, 2025 proved to be a remarkably turbulent year, setting the stage for a deeply uncertain political future in Scotland.
