Leader hears demands for a clearer vision focused on independence ahead of next year’s Holyrood elections
SNP activists and senior figures have vented their frustrations at their leader, John Swinney, after a “disastrous” byelection campaign that saw the party lose a pivotal Holyrood seat to Scottish Labour.
The party was also accused of running a “panicked” campaign that some believe pushed more voters towards Reform in last Thursday’s Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse byelection.
SNP members are voicing criticisms of the result at branch meetings, with Swinney expected to face robust questioning at the SNP’s national executive committee meeting on Sunday.
Central to members’ concerns was the key campaign message that the byelection was a two-horse race between the SNP and Reform UK, which has been gaining ground in Scotland since last year’s general election. That was coupled with the party’s failure to promote independence as an alternative to the rightwing populist party’s divisive rhetoric.
