SNP respond after furious members accuse party of 'shutting down' independence debate

ELLON, SCOTLAND MAY 07 : A man attaches his SNP rosette to his suit jacket on his way to vote in the tiny fishing village of Collieston on May 07, 2015 near Ellon, Scotland. The United Kingdom has gone to the polls to vote for a new government in one of

THE SNP have responded after furious members accused the party of “shutting down debate” on the route to independence.

We told how multiple draft resolutions on the party’s independence strategy did not make it on to the provisional conference agenda for the upcoming event in Aberdeen in October.

The National understands that numerous branches put forward proposals.

This ranged from contesting the next General Election as a de facto referendum, setting up a constitutional convention, and putting in place plans for when Westminster inevitably refuses to grant a Section 30 order to hold a referendum.

However, none of the motions appeared in a provisional agenda seen by this paper.

The draft agenda is decided by the SNP’s conferences committee, and the final version will be voted on by conference delegates before it is published.

The appearance of blocking a debate on a strategy to achieve independence in the face of repeated refusal from Westminster to grant a Section 30 order, caused outrage among members.

The National approached the SNP for a response to comments made by members and suggestions that the conferences committee had blocked motions in an attempt to shut down debate.

An SNP spokesperson said: “John Swinney spent last weekend discussing independence and the pathway to another independence referendum with SNP members at National Assembly.

First Minister of Scotland John Swinney, delivers his keynote speech at the SNP annual conference 2025. (Image: PA)

“The First Minister has been clear that it is for the people of Scotland to decide their future, not out of touch Westminster politicians.”

It comes as the Scottish Government published a draft referendum bill on Friday morning.

As the power to hold any such vote is reserved to Westminster, which was confirmed by a UK Supreme Court ruling in 2022, the bill will sit on the shelf until “the necessary powers are secured”, the Scottish Government said.

The draft bill sets out the question and defines the franchise for an independence vote.

It is substantially the same draft bill as was published by Nicola Sturgeon’s government in 2021, before the Supreme Court ruling.

Swinney said that the bill is “simple, straightforward and direct”, and the UK Government now needs to “respect the voice of the Scottish people and Parliament and transfer the necessary powers”.

We told how the first vote of the Scottish Parliament, following the May 2026 Holyrood election, called for Westminster to devolve the powers which would allow it to hold a second independence referendum.

The UK Government rejected the request within minutes of the vote passing.