SNP rejects using next election as ‘de facto’ referendum on independence

Published

2 years ago

October 15, 2023

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The SNP will not use the next general election as a de facto independence referendum, in a shift away from the strategy employed by Nicola Sturgeon.

Instead, the party has used its annual conference in Aberdeen to state that, should it win a majority of Scottish seats at the general election expected next year, it should begin negotiations with Westminster on how it can go about securing Scotland’s independence.

This was described by one SNP MP as seeking the mandate to secure independence, rather than a vote for independence itself.

Some MPs supported the approach previously championed by former leader Ms Sturgeon – in which securing 50% plus one of the vote in Scotland should be treated as the Scottish people declaring themselves independent.

Humza Yousaf, the SNP’s current leader and the first minister of Scotland, backed the switch away from his predecessor’s position.

He said using the next general election as a de facto referendum for independence is the “wrong approach” to take.

It is the first conference since Ms Sturgeon’s attempt to hold a referendum was defeated in the courts, her subsequent resignation, arrest and release, and the investigation into the party’s finances.

SNP MP Tommy Sheppard, who proposed one of the amendments which turned the party’s strategy away from a referendum, told the conference that 10% of those who support independence do not back the SNP for the next election – but also do not support other pro-independence parties.

“The truth of this is that there is 10% or more of the Scottish electorate who want Scotland to be an independent country, but it is not the main thing on their mind right now,” Mr Sheppard said.

He says the lack of support for other independence-backing outfits – like Alex Salmond’s Alba Party – shows voters are not going to support a party based on immediate independence.

Joanna Cherry, another MP, said that she backed not using the 2024 vote as a de facto referendum, but said the option should be kept open – including at the 2026 Scottish parliament election.

One MP who wanted to use the next general election as a referendum was the MP Pete Wishart.

He said the party needed a “credible and realistic route” to independence to be presented to the country in order to leave the United Kingdom.

“It’s time to stop asking and time to start asserting,” he added.

Mr Wishart said that every election should be treated as a de-facto referendum “and we keep on doing it – until they properly engage, or we win, which we will most definitely do”.

The conference itself has been overshadowed by the war in the Middle East – including the fact that the parents of SNP councillor Nadia El Nakla, who is also Mr Yousaf’s wife, are trapped in Gaza.

The event started with an emergency motion, which called for the condemnation of the “terrorist attacks” of Hamas and the release of all hostages.

It says “international law must be respected”, and reaffirms the party’s support for a two-state solution.

The party unanimously supported the motion.

UK

Starmer will be breathing a sigh of relief after clinching shock victory over SNP and Reform UK

Published

4 hours ago

June 6, 2025

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Starmer will be breathing a sigh of relief after clinching shock victory over SNP and Reform UK

Anything other than a win for Labour would have been a humiliation in this contest.

It wasn’t any old local by-election – this was a contest where Labour knew it could act as a mini barometer of Sir Keir Starmer’s recent U-turn on winter fuel payments and become a test of how popular the politics of Nigel Farage are in Scotland.

Labour are power hungry and have, for a long time, set their sights on forming the next Scottish government.

The prime minister will this morning be breathing a sigh of relief after clinching this shock victory over the SNP and Reform UK.

This contest on the outskirts of Glasgow came at a time where Labour had been firefighting and grappling with polling suggesting they had blown their chances of ousting the SNP from power in Edinburgh after almost 20 years.

The SNP had a spring in their step during this campaign after a chaotic couple of years.

First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney had apparently stemmed the bleeding after the infamous police fraud investigation, endless fallout over gender identity reforms, and last year’s general election where they were almost wiped out.

This result leaves them no further forward than 12 months ago with questions over the party’s strategy.

Reform UK is very much in the Scottish picture now, finishing a few hundred votes behind the nationalists.

This is a party led by a man who barely registered any support north of the border for many years. A remarkable transformation.

The surge in support has spooked many because they know fine well Nigel Farage is only just getting started.

One poll had Reform UK forming the next official opposition at Holyrood. After tonight, that might be a tall order but Mr Farage is shaking things up at the expense of the Conservatives.

The unpredictable nature of this contest may give us a taste of what is to come.

UK

EuroMillions: Single ticket-holder could win UK’s biggest lottery prize tonight

Published

4 hours ago

June 6, 2025

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EuroMillions: Single ticket-holder could win UK's biggest lottery prize tonight

A single ticket-holder could win the biggest lottery prize the UK has ever seen if they match the right numbers in tonight’s EuroMillions draw.

The jackpot has rolled over to an estimated £208m, after Tuesday’s £199m draw – which also would have been a record-breaking amount – had no winners.

The winner would instantly become richer than Adele and Harry Styles, while also bagging the top spot on the National Lottery’s biggest wins list.

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Andy Carter, senior winners’ adviser at Allwyn, said: “We are now on the verge of potentially creating the biggest National Lottery winner this country has ever seen.”

The previous largest prize pot was won by an anonymous UK ticket-holder, who took home £195m on 19 July 2022.

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Just two months earlier, Joe and Jess Thwaite, from Gloucester, won £184,262,899 with a Lucky Dip ticket. At the time, Joe was a communications sales engineer, and Jess ran a hairdressing salon with her sister.

Mr Thwaite said he woke up at 5am as usual, and checked his phone to see an email saying, “Good news, you have won a prize”.

But he did not immediately wake his wife, choosing to let her sleep in.

“I saw how much and I didn’t know what to do,” Mr Thwaite said.

“I couldn’t go back to sleep, I didn’t want to wake Jess up, so I just laid there for what seemed like forever. I spent some time searching for property with no budget limit, which was a novelty!”

When his wife woke up, she assumed the National Lottery app was wrong.

In February last year, Richard and Debbie Nuttall were revealed as the UK winners of a £61m EuroMillions jackpot – who at first thought they had only won £2.60.

The couple from Lancashire split the £123m prize with a winner in Spain.

This year’s biggest prize, of £83m went to a UK winner in January.

UK

Scottish Labour win Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election as SNP suffer shock defeat

Published

10 hours ago

June 6, 2025

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Scottish Labour win Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election as SNP suffer shock defeat

Scottish Labour’s Davy Russell has won the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election.

Mr Russell took top spot with 8,559 votes. The SNP placed second with 7,957 votes, with Reform UK closely taking third with 7,088 votes.

The new MSP said he was “proud” to have been elected, adding: “I said in this campaign that I will put this community, our community first.

“I will work every single day to do that.”

The by-election was called following the death of SNP MSP Christina McKelvie.

The Scottish government minister died in March at the age of 57, having last year taken medical leave to undergo treatment for secondary breast cancer.

South Lanarkshire councillor Katy Loudon had hoped to retain the Holyrood seat for the SNP, given her party’s heavy losses to Labour at last year’s UK general election.

First Minister John Swinney congratulated Mr Russell following the result.

In a post on X, the SNP leader said Ms Loudon had “fought a superb SNP campaign”.

He added: “We have made progress since the election last year but not enough. We still have work to do and we will do it.”

All eyes were also on Reform UK and whether it would enjoy a “tartan bounce” in light of the party’s recent slew of local election wins in England.

With Reform UK never having won an election in Scotland, party deputy leader Richard Tice said candidate Ross Lambie coming in third was a “massive boost for us”.

He added: “It’s a fantastic result, just a few hundred votes away from the SNP, nobody predicted that.

“I think that sets us up with excitement and momentum for the next 11 months into the Holyrood elections.”

Mr Russell said the constituents had voted to “take a new direction” with his party.

He added: “Like the people here in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, and right across Scotland, we all feel we have been let down by the SNP.

“They’ve broken our NHS, wasted our money, and after nearly two decades they don’t deserve another chance.”

Mr Russell said the community had also “sent a message” to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage “and his mob tonight”.

He added: “The poison of Reform isn’t us, it isn’t Scotland, and we don’t want your division here.

“Reform have no real answers to the issues we face, and they can’t beat the SNP here or replace them across Scotland.”

Mr Russell said his party was ready to “fix” the NHS and “end the SNP’s addiction to wasting your money”.

He added: “The road to a new direction for Scotland in 2026 – with Anas Sarwar as first minister and a Scottish Labour government – begins right here. So, let’s go and win it together.”

Ten candidates went head-to-head in the Holyrood by-election:

• Collette Bradley, Scottish Socialist Party – 278 votes
• Andy Brady, Scottish Family Party – 219 votes
• Ross Lambie, Reform UK – 7,088 votes
• Katy Loudon, Scottish National Party (SNP) – 7,957 votes
• Janice MacKay, UK Independence Party (UKIP) – 50 votes
• Ann McGuinness, Scottish Green Party – 695 votes
• Aisha Mir, Scottish Liberal Democrats – 533 votes
• Richard Nelson, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party – 1,621 votes
• Davy Russell, Scottish Labour Party – 8,559 votes
• Marc Wilkinson, Independent – 109 votes

The votes were verified and manually counted at South Lanarkshire Council headquarters in Hamilton.

Campaigning became heated in the run up to the by-election, with Reform UK accused of running a “racist” ad on Facebook against Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.

Reform leader Mr Farage continued to double down, accusing his rival of “sectarian politics”.

In response, the Scottish Labour MSP branded Mr Farage a “poisonous little man” and accused him of running a “campaign of dirt and smear”.

First Minister Mr Swinney had earlier warned it was a “two-horse race” between the SNP and Reform UK, urging voters to “defeat the gutter politics” of Mr Farage.

With less than a year to go before the Scottish parliament election, the result potentially offers a snapshot of how the political landscape north of the border could look in 2026.

Mr Sarwar said: “I think people need to change the script, because we’ve proven the pollsters wrong.

“We’ve proven the commentators wrong, we’ve proven the bookies wrong. We’ve proven John Swinney wrong and so many others wrong too.”