Britainupdated 1h ago2 min read
John Swinney Tells SNP Conference Aberdeen Stars Are Aligning For Scottish Independence
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Swinney says stars are aligning for Scottish independence at Aberdeen SNP conference. He calls 2026 a turning point in Scotland's journey toward statehood.
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Swinney presses independence
John Swinney will tell SNP conference delegates in Aberdeen that "the stars are aligning" for Scottish independence and that 2026 is a "turning point" in Scotland's "journey towards statehood". Swinney will argue that "in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast, every first minister now supports our nations' right to self-determination" as he seeks another independence referendum after May elections saw the SNP win a record fifth term in government at Holyrood. Andy Burnham said in Motherwell that he wanted to "move beyond the old politics of conflict" as he offered to work with the SNP to deepen devolution in Scotland.
Burnham previously told Swinney during a meeting in Glasgow that a second Scottish independence referendum remains "off limits," and the BBC says Scotland previously voted against independence by 55% to 45%. The UK Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that any further vote would require the agreement of the UK government.
Polls show a split
A Survation poll commissioned by the SNP found 52% in favour of independence, while a YouGov study found 53% would vote No and More in Common put support for remaining in the UK at 52%. YouGov found only 17% think independence is one of the top issues facing the country, while More in Common found just one in ten put it in their top three issues and ranked it twelfth. A separate Survation poll for Scotland in Union found 68% put cost of living in their top three priorities for the Scottish Government, against 11% for another referendum.
A Survation poll commissioned by the SNP projected Scots would vote for independence by 54% to 46% if a second referendum were held tomorrow, once "don’t knows" are removed. The poll was conducted from October 9-14 and a second Survation poll for the SNP projected 52% to 48% between September 18 and October 12.
Burnham, Westminster, and stakes
Legally, any vote on Scottish independence requires the agreement of the UK Government, and five justices ruled in 2022 that Holyrood could not hold a second referendum without Westminster's consent. Andy Burnham appeared to shift the UK Government's position after he said Scotland's constitutional arrangements were "exactly the same" as Northern Ireland's and that there can be a vote when there is "clear consensus". Burnham's press secretary later insisted there had been no change in position and that a vote on independence was "off limits," and it describes confusion in Motherwell when Burnham failed to rule out a vote for the duration of his premiership.
Russell Findlay warned that Swinney was "like a broken record" with his "obsession with breaking up the UK" and added that Scots want him to bring down their bills and fix crumbling public services. YouGov found 53% of Scots see Swinney unfavourably and 34% favourably, a net rating of minus 19, as the SNP goes into conference with the public divided.