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.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon at the 2022 party conference
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.
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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.
Read more:
February: Sturgeon’s exit could prompt major rethink
SNP to seek independence talks even if party loses 20 MPs
SNP loses Rutherglen and Hamilton West seat
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.
Crypto-friendly billionaire investor Bill Ackman is considering the possibility that US President Donald Trump may pause the implementation of his controversial proposed tariffs on April 7.
“One would have to imagine that President Donald Trump’s phone has been ringing off the hook. The practical reality is that there is insufficient time for him to make deals before the tariffs are scheduled to take effect,” Ackman, founder of Pershing Square Capital Management, said in an April 5 X post.
Trump may postpone tariffs to make more deals, says Ackman
“I would, therefore, not be surprised to wake up Monday with an announcement from the President that he was postponing the implementation of the tariffs to give him time to make deals,” Ackman added.
On April 2, Trump signed an executive order establishing a 10% baseline tariff on all imports from all countries, which took effect on April 5. Harsher reciprocal tariffs on trading partners with which the US has the largest trade deficits are scheduled to kick in on April 9.
Ackman — who famously said “crypto is here to stay” after the FTX collapse in November 2022 — said Trump captured the attention of the world and US trading partners, backing the tariffs as necessary after what he called an “unfair tariff regime” that hurt US workers and economy “over many decades.”
Following Trump’s announcement on April 2, the US stock market shed more value during the April 4 trading session than the entire crypto market is currently worth. The fact that crypto held up better than the US stock market caught the attention of both crypto industry supporters and skeptics.
Source: Cameron Winklevoss
Prominent crypto voices such as BitMEX co-founder Arthur Hayes and Gemini co-founder Cameron Winklevoss also recently showed their support for Trump’s tariffs.
Related: Trump tariffs squeeze already struggling Bitcoin miners — Braiins exec
Ackman said a pause would be a logical move by Trump — not just to allow time for closing potential deals but also to give companies of all sizes “time to prepare for changes.” He added:
“The risk of not doing so is that the massive increase in uncertainty drives the economy into a recession, potentially a severe one.”
Ackman said April 7 will be “one of the more interesting days” in US economic history.
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Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, marks their 50th birthday amid a year of rising institutional and geopolitical adoption of the world’s first cryptocurrency.
The identity of Nakamoto remains one of the biggest mysteries in crypto, with speculation ranging from cryptographers like Adam Back and Nick Szabo to broader theories involving government intelligence agencies.
While Nakamoto’s identity remains anonymous, the Bitcoin (BTC) creator is believed to have turned 50 on April 5 based on details shared in the past.
According to archived data from his P2P Foundation profile, Nakamoto once claimed to be a 37-year-old man living in Japan and listed his birthdate as April 5, 1975.
Source: Web.archive.org
Nakamoto’s anonymity has played a vital role in maintaining the decentralized nature of the Bitcoin network, which has no central authority or leadership.
The Bitcoin wallet associated with Nakamoto, which holds over 1 million BTC, has laid dormant for more than 16 years despite BTC rising from $0 to an all-time high above $109,000 in January.
Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Lugano, Switzerland. Source: Cointelegraph
Nakamoto’s 50th birthday comes nearly a month after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a Digital Asset Stockpile, marking the first major step toward integrating Bitcoin into the US financial system.
Related: Bitcoin at 16: From experiment to trillion-dollar asset
Nakamoto’s legacy: a “cornerstone of economic sovereignty”
“At 50, Nakamoto’s legacy is no longer just code; it’s a cornerstone of economic sovereignty,” according to Anndy Lian, author and intergovernmental blockchain expert.
“Bitcoin’s reserve status signals trust in its scarcity and resilience,” Lian told Cointelegraph, adding:
“What’s fascinating is the timing. Fifty feels symbolic — half a century of life, mirrored by Bitcoin’s journey from a white paper to a trillion-dollar asset. Nakamoto’s vision of trustless, peer-to-peer money has outgrown its cypherpunk roots, entering the halls of power.”
However, lingering questions about Nakamoto remain unanswered, including whether they still hold the keys to their wallet, which is “a fortune now tied to US policy,” Lian said.
Related: Bitcoin’s next catalyst: End of $36T US debt ceiling suspension
Is Satoshi Nakamoto wealthier than Bill Gates?
In February, Arkham Intelligence published findings that attribute 1.096 million BTC — then valued at more than $108 billion — to Nakamoto. That would place him above Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on the global wealth rankings, according to data shared by Coinbase director Conor Grogan.
Satoshi’s new addresses. Source: Conor Grogan
If accurate, this would make Nakamoto the world’s 16th richest person.
Despite the growing interest in Nakamoto’s identity and holdings, his early decision to remain anonymous and inactive has helped preserve Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos — a principle that continues to define the cryptocurrency to this day.
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