THE SNP have seen a surge in donations off the back of their “hearts and minds” fund announcement, The National understands.
The party announced a new £100,000 fund for campaigning earlier this week in a bid to win over voters to the cause.
The “war chest” is aimed at building on the momentum from a significant fortnight for independence campaigners after Andy Burnham conceded that support for Yes could trigger indyref2 and the Celtic Alliance’s Cardiff declaration last week.
A senior SNP source told The National: “Before the £100,000 hearts and minds campaign has even got off the ground we’ve seen some of that money made up in donations on the back of it.
“We are moving at pace on independence and the sequencing of events on that push has been important, but that £100,000 will be out the door and on the screens of voters by the end of the year.
“The more we get in, the longer and bigger this specific campaign will be, but the Westminster parties should be in no doubt – we are in business here and we are not stopping.”
The “hearts and minds” fund has previously been described by a party insider as a “major doorstep and digital campaign” and is expected to cover the SNP’s largest ever online advertisement spend outside of an election campaign.
In other developments on the constitutional front, new Scottish Labour leader Michael Marra said he accepted that “the people of Scotland have the right to decide their future”.
John Swinney hailed the comment as a “hugely significant moment” for Scotland, saying: “For the first time since 2014, Scottish Labour accept Scotland’s right to decide our own future, just as the Prime Minister has.”
He added: “We now need to turn that principle into an opportunity for people to make their voice heard.”
Elsewhere, Reform MSPs were mocked as they stormed out of a debate on Scotland’s “right to decide its own future” tabled by the SNP.
As Malcolm Offord led the walk-out, Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer said: “I hope the Parliament Arms across the road have got extra staff on this afternoon.
“I get the impression they might be busy.”
A survey by Norstat for Believe in Scotland revealed that 56% of Scots said that indyref2 should come before 2036.
On the question itself, the poll found that 52% of Scots would vote Yes with 48% against independence, among those likely to vote.
Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp, founder of Believe in Scotland, told The National the figures showed that “the public opinion obstacles identified by the Prime Minister have already been met”.
