SNP members have overwhelmingly backed leader John Swinney’s “clear and unambiguous” independence strategy, which states that winning a majority in next year’s Holyrood election is the only route to a second referendum. The vote came on the first day of the party’s annual conference in Aberdeen.
The leadership’s motion, passed by a large majority, states that the May 2026 Scottish parliament elections should be fought on a “clear platform of national independence” and that securing 65 seats or more would be “the only uncontested way to deliver a new vote on Scotland’s future”. An amendment proposed by over 40 local branches, which would have treated the election as a de facto referendum, was rejected.
Former party leader Nicola Sturgeon, who first promoted the de facto idea, acknowledged it as a “mistake” in her recent memoir. Speaking to the conference, Swinney said the SNP was “within touching distance of the 65 seats that will make the world sit up and take notice” and urged members to back a “clear, unambiguous message”. Depute leader Keith Brown seconded the motion, stating: “The only way we can achieve independence is to ask a clear question and get a clear answer.”
The debate reflected a party seeking to rebuild after a poor general election performance in 2024, when the SNP lost 38 of its 48 Westminster seats. Activists recalled difficulties explaining what many saw as a muddled independence strategy on the doorstep. The party now leads in polls ahead of Scottish Labour and Reform UK, with a focus on winning back “soft yes” supporters.
Veteran activist Graeme McCormick, speaking for the defeated amendment, warned the SNP was being “hollowed out” due to a lack of a referendum date. Former MP Tommy Sheppard said there were “no quick fixes” and that the party needed a strategy to deepen support for independence into the 2030s. However, a majority remains a high bar given Holyrood’s proportional system; the SNP has achieved it only once, under Alex Salmond in 2011. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has repeatedly stated he would not grant permission for a second vote.
