Party rebels demand independence action without referendum at SNP conference
The SNP winning a majority in next year’s Holyrood election is the only sure path to another independence referendum, John Swinney is to tell the party conference as he tries to face down rebels.
Mr. Swinney has tabled a motion arguing that the SNP winning 65 of 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament is needed “to deliver a mandate that cannot be contested or rejected” by the UK Government.
The motion, which will be voted on by SNP members, argues that the 2011 election set a precedent. Alex Salmond led the party to a majority win that year and a referendum was held three years later, which the nationalists lost.
The First Minister’s motion also argues that a referendum “remains the right way” to get independence as it would be constitutional and legal, with its result respected “both at home and abroad.”
But he faces a clash at next month’s conference with rebels who believe his policy is leading nowhere. Sir Keir Starmer has made clear he will not allow a rerun of the 2014 referendum, regardless of the election result.
The rebels have tabled an amendment to the motion arguing that independence-supporting parties, including Alba and the Greens, would have a mandate to open divorce negotiations with the UK Government if they together win a majority of the popular vote. No referendum would be required.
In a warning to Mr. Swinney, whom many of them view as too cautious, the amendment states that “Scotland must extricate itself from the United Kingdom as soon as possible, and it requires a strong SNP government to do this.”
The amendment, which has been tabled by nine SNP branches, also demands that Mr. Swinney sets a “target date for independence” and creates a “provisional government to oversee the necessary preparations.”
Among the other motions that will be debated by the Aberdeen conference is one arguing that the Scottish Government should examine introducing a local wealth tax.
A Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) report proposed raising £1.4bn per year by imposing a one percent annual tax on wealth, including property, pension pots, and expensive possessions such as jewellery and art.
The conference, which will be staged from Oct 11 to 13, comes ahead of next May’s election, when the party will be attempting to win a fifth term in office.
But it has previously emerged that some of the rebel group want to oust Mr. Swinney as party leader amid concerns he is not doing enough to achieve independence.
Rachael Hamilton, the Scottish Tory deputy leader, said: “It’s a measure of how out of touch the SNP are with ordinary Scots that their conference is set to turn into a bun fight over their latest strategy for breaking up the UK.
“Scotland’s public services are in meltdown on John Swinney’s watch, while hard-pressed Scots are being taxed ever more, yet the Nationalists’ top priority, as usual, is their independence obsession.
“The public want a First Minister and a government focused on the day job. John Swinney and the SNP are incapable of doing that, which is why Scotland needs rid of them next May.”
Successive UK governments have repeatedly turned down SNP calls for a second referendum, with the UK Supreme Court ruling in 2022 that only Westminster can allow another poll.
Alex Neil, a former SNP health minister, previously told The Telegraph that Mr. Swinney was “living in cloud-cuckoo-land” if he thought the SNP would win a majority in next May’s election.
Meanwhile, the SNP’s former defence spokesman has criticized the party for ditching plans to discuss the issue at the conference.
Stewart McDonald, a former Glasgow South MP, told The Herald that it was important for the whole party to discuss defence if it wanted “to be taken seriously” on independence.
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