Scotland must have the power to decide its own future in the UK ahead of the next general election, John Swinney has insisted – with the SNP leader making clear he wants the country to be “fully Farage-proofed”.
Less than 24 hours after being re-elected as Scotland’s First Minister, he took aim at Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party – who won their first seats in the Scottish Parliament, coming in joint second place with Labour.
With elections elsewhere in the UK putting Plaid Cymru ahead in Wales, and with a Sinn Fein first minister in place in Northern Ireland, Mr Swinney also took the opportunity to warn Westminster of the growing “significance” of the so-called “Celtic fringe”.
His comments came the day after the SNP won 58 seats at Holyrood in what was the party’s fifth consecutive election victory there.
However, the SNP fell short of the overall majority Mr Swinney had fought for in a bid to try to force a second independence referendum.
Speaking to supporters in Edinburgh on Saturday – including some of his new MSPs – Mr Swinney noted “there are now set to be first ministers in Wales, Northern Ireland and in Scotland all committed to fundamental constitutional change”.
He added: “If Westminster has not yet grasped the significance of this moment, then it certainly will come to appreciate it in the weeks and months ahead, believe me.
“Because the direction of travel is clear – what people in London like to refer to rather patronisingly as the Celtic fringe is very much about to become centre stage.”
Earlier in the day, Mr Swinney had posed for photographs with the new SNP group of MSPs, who celebrated the result at the top of Edinburgh’s Calton Hill.
The First Minister pointed out that the 58 SNP MSPs, combined with the record 15 Scottish Green MSPs, meant there are “now more pro-independence MSPs than at any time in the history of the Scottish Parliament”.
He insisted Holyrood be given powers over a referendum – saying the “way forward on this must be made in Scotland”.
With Reform UK having made gains in England in council elections, the SNP leader added: “The results across the UK made clear why the need for independence is so urgent.
“Nigel Farage is now galloping towards Downing Street and the prospect of a Reform-led government is more likely than not.”
That, he said, gave rise to the prospect of the UK having a “prime minister who is openly hostile to minority groups, who has called for the privatisation of the NHS and the abolition of the Scottish Parliament”.
The First Minister added: “It is vital we unite in Scotland to ensure our Parliament is fully Farage-proofed.
“That means having the power before 2029 to decide our own constitutional future without Farage being able to block us.”
The First Minister insisted that having the Reform UK leader in Downing Street would be an “absolutely disastrous scenario”, claiming Mr Farage would be a “catastrophic” prime minister.
“I think the very real threat exists of that,” Mr Swinney warned, adding that this was why he believes Scots “need to have the protection of being an independent country”.
While he accepted the SNP had not won an overall majority in Holyrood in the election, Mr Swinney said this “does not change the underlying fact that despite all the attempts to stop us for the fourth election in a row there is a pro-independence mandate in the new Scottish Parliament”.
As a minority operation, he said he would be inviting the leaders of other parties to talks next week about their priorities for the next five years of the Parliament.
But Mr Swinney was clear he would not be inviting Reform UK to talks in the Scottish Government headquarters in St Andrew’s house.
“I’m not going to do that,” he told journalists.
“I am not obliged to invite Reform into St Andrew’s House next week to have discussions with me about how we co-operate together.”
He described this as him “setting out the boundaries of my co-operation”, but Reform UK’s Scottish leader Lord Malcolm Offord branded the move “arrogant, petty and deeply undemocratic”.
Lord Offord said: “This is a disgraceful attempt by John Swinney and the SNP to silence the hundreds of thousands of people across Scotland who are backing Reform UK.”
He added: “The SNP can lock the doors of St Andrew’s House if they like but they cannot shut down the growing demand for real change in Scotland.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “This election was not about independence and John Swinney and the SNP do not have a mandate for a referendum.
“Right across Scotland people have been clear that they want action to tackle the cost of living, fix the NHS and strengthen our communities.
“John Swinney and the SNP should focus on fixing the basics and delivering for the people of Scotland instead of pursuing their own obsessions.”
Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay said: “Less than 24 hours after the Scottish Conservatives stopped the majority that John Swinney said he would get, he is shamelessly attempting to move the goalposts.
“This confirms that his only interest is breaking up the UK – not helping the people of Scotland.
“He is brazenly peddling a massive lie by claiming that he has the support and the mandate for another divisive referendum.
“While it might be tempting to dismiss him as an independence-obsessed crank, we know that he is deadly serious, which is why we will continue to say no.”
