JOHN Swinney has admitted that the SNP “failed to convince people of the urgency of independence” as he called on party members to give feedback on the SNP’s General Election campaign.
Reflecting on the results of the election on July 4 – which saw the SNP retain just nine seats – the First Minister and SNP leader said he did not wish to “downplay the significance of the result”.
He issued a call for party members, candidates, election agents and campaign teams to give feedback on the SNP’s election campaign, which would then be considered at the party’s August conference.
Swinney (below) said it was clear that the SNP had to “build trust” with Scottish voters, particularly on securing independence, which he said the party needs to “get that approach correct in the forthcoming period”.
He added: “We must also continue to look outwards, rather than inwards, and listen to the people of our country.”
Read John Swinney's full statement below:
“I am writing to you to provide an update on how the Scottish National Party is responding to the election result last week.
“I made it clear last Friday that the result was disappointing for the party. I do not seek in any way to downplay the significance of the result; we have to learn from it and act accordingly.
“I am very sorry to be losing so many able Members of Parliament and candidates who were unsuccessful, and that so many staff who work to support our MPs will also not be able to serve in the way that they have up until now.
“This election outcome adds to what has been a difficult period for the SNP – a difficult period that has gone on for some time now, and resulted in me becoming leader of the party just nine weeks ago.
“I came back into frontline politics to heal the SNP, to heal its relationship with the people of Scotland, and I am committed to doing exactly that.
“When I stood for leadership of the party, I promised to ensure a vibrant internal democracy within the party as a means of creating strength and cohesion. In the few weeks that I have been leader, I believe I have brought people together in the way that I proposed.
“However, there is clearly more that has to be done – for us as a party to reflect on the election outcome, to reflect on the issues that it raises, to listen to each other, and to learn from each other about what is necessary to be done to strengthen our position.
“We must also continue to look outwards, rather than inwards, and listen to the people of our country.
“I think there are two particular areas in which we have to do that.
“The first is on building trust. The SNP has built trust with voters in Scotland by making a positive impact on their lives, by changing their lives for the better. We have done that by delivering on a whole host of policy areas over the time in which we have been in Government.
“Delivering policy commitments which change the lives of individuals is central to building that trust with the electorate. And I commit us to focusing and delivering on the things which matter most to the people of Scotland.
“So we must work hard to engage with the public, to build trust, and to build confidence.
“The second area where we have to engage with the public, to listen to them, and to learn, is on the issue of independence.
“In 2021, we asked the people of Scotland to give the Scottish Parliament a mandate to hold a referendum on independence. The public gave that mandate – which has since been thwarted. Our manifesto for this election said that if the SNP won a majority of seats in Scotland, that would intensify pressure to enact that mandate and take forward our goal.
“I have to accept that we failed to convince people of the urgency of independence in this election campaign, and we need to consider how we deliver our absolute and unshakeable commitment to independence.
“As someone who has devoted their entire adult life to winning Scotland's independence – not for an abstract reason, but because I believe that it will transform the lives of our people for the better – I recognise we need to get that approach correct in the forthcoming period.
“To that end, I have invited feedback on the election from candidates, election agents, and campaign teams. We are also undertaking analysis of polling evidence to reach informed conclusions about the issues we need to address.
“I also invite SNP members to offer their feedback by completing our membership survey.
“All of the material that we receive will then be considered by the National Executive Committee (NEC) in early August – and that material will form the basis for engagement on the election outcome at the SNP Conference in late August.
“I commit to listening carefully to the views of all colleagues as we reflect, and plan our future.”
