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John Swinney, leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has firmly dismissed the possibility of talks with Reform UK as his party pursues the formation of the next Scottish government. Despite securing a comfortable victory in the recent Holyrood election, the SNP fell short of an outright majority by seven seats. This shortfall means that Swinney will need support from other parties to be reappointed as First Minister and to effectively pass legislation.
The election results saw Labour and Reform UK tied for second place with 17 seats each, followed by the Greens holding 15 seats, the Conservatives with 12, and the Liberal Democrats securing 10. Malcolm Offord, Reform UK’s leader in Scotland, criticized Swinney, calling him “arrogant, petty and deeply undemocratic.” Nevertheless, Swinney reiterated at a news conference in Edinburgh that the SNP remains “by a country mile” the dominant party and will head the next government. He stated that while leaders from all other parties at Holyrood would be invited individually for discussions starting next week, Reform UK would be excluded.
Swinney highlighted past constructive cooperation with other parties, referencing successful budget agreements with the Greens and Liberal Democrats, as well as positive interactions with Labour and the Conservatives on certain issues. However, he remained adamant about excluding Reform UK from negotiations, citing concerns linked to their political stance. He pointed to Reform’s growing presence in England, with over 1,400 councillors, and its status in Wales as the second-largest party behind Plaid Cymru in the Senedd. Swinney warned that the approach of Nigel Farage toward Downing Street could be “catastrophic” and emphasized the importance of rallying Scotland to ensure the parliament is safeguarded against Farage’s influence. According to Swinney, this requires Scotland to gain the power before 2029 to decide its constitutional direction independently.
Regarding the push for Scottish independence, Swinney expressed disappointment that the SNP failed to win a majority, which he had hoped would break the constitutional deadlock and pave the way for a second referendum. Although such a vote requires approval from the UK government—which has consistently refused permission—Swinney argued that the combined pro-independence majority between the SNP and Greens at Holyrood provides a clear mandate. He claimed holding a referendum by 2028 remains a realistic goal. Swinney added, “There has now been a pro-independence majority for four elections in a row but this mandate has been ignored by both Labour and Tory prime ministers year after year.” Despite SNP’s overall victory, their vote share declined by nearly 10% in constituencies and over 13% regionally compared to 2021. The total pro-independence vote across the SNP and Greens was slightly above 40%.
Malcolm Offord dismissed independence as a “dead duck” and accused Swinney of engaging in “exactly the kind of out-of-touch establishment politics people are sick of.” He emphasized that “The SNP can lock the doors of St Andrew’s House if they like but they cannot shut down the growing demand for real change in Scotland.” Other party leaders also reacted strongly to the election outcome. Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay accused Swinney of “shamelessly attempting to move the goalposts” on independence and called the claim of having a mandate for another referendum a “massive lie.” Despite the Conservatives’ worst-ever Holyrood election result, Findlay positioned his party as the “strong, credible voice of opposition.” Meanwhile, Greens co-leader Ross Greer stated that Reform UK should not be included in cross-party talks and affirmed the Greens’ commitment to working productively with an SNP government, focusing on cost-of-living measures. Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton noted that his party’s success prevented an SNP majority, suggesting the question of independence should be “put in the deep freeze for at least the next five years” while aiming for a cooperative parliament.
Notably, the Scottish Labour party did not hold a media event following the election results
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