Humza Yousaf, the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), has called for patience and unity in his party’s pursuit of independence. Speaking at the SNP’s annual conference in Aberdeen, Yousaf urged party members to focus on building a clear and sustained majority in favour of leaving the UK, rather than seeking an immediate shortcut to independence. His comments came as the conference approved his strategy for independence, which calls for an actual referendum if the party wins a majority of Scottish constituencies at Westminster.
“We must move on,” Yousaf insisted, “from talking about process to talking about policy.” He emphasized the importance of listening, campaigning, and persuading, and noted that success would require a focus on the why of independence, rather than the how. However, the conference did spend a significant chunk of time discussing the details of independence, ultimately voting in favour of Yousaf’s strategy over the idea floated by his predecessor, Nicola Sturgeon, of treating the next general election as a de facto referendum.
Yousaf also pledged to put the constitution front and centre in the SNP’s campaign, with line one of the party’s manifesto reading “vote SNP for Scotland to become an independent country”. He stressed that the SNP’s attempts to hold a referendum with their current pro-independence majority at Holyrood had been stymied by the UK government’s refusal to grant consent, and the Supreme Court’s ruling that the Scottish Parliament does not have the right to do so alone. Delegates responded by voting for London to devolve more powers to Edinburgh to tackle issues related to the cost of living and climate change.
The past two weeks have been bruising for the SNP, with the loss of one Westminster seat to Labour in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election, and the defection of another Labour MP to the Tories. Additionally, there is the police investigation into the funding and finances of the SNP, which has implicated former leader Nicola Sturgeon and others. Despite these challenges, Yousaf remains focused on building a clear majority in favour of independence over the long term, rather than seeking short-term solutions
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More