THE SNP’s Westminster leader has U-turned after opening the door to a deal with Reform UK that would put Nigel Farage’s party into power if they agreed to a second independence referendum.
Speaking to The National Podcast, Dave Doogan – who has led the SNP Westminster group since Stephen Flynn was elected to Holyrood in May – said he believed that Prime Minister Andy Burnham will call a General Election in 2028.
Discussing the possibility of a second independence referendum as part of a deal with a UK party after that election, Doogan said: “We'll negotiate with anybody, we'll help anybody into power, but you don't need to be the last word and psephologist to know what the SNP will demand in exchange for that support.”
Asked if that meant the SNP would support Reform UK or the Tories into government, Doogan said: “The pursuit of Scottish independence is at the forefront of everything we do. Every day we get up as an SNP group and as an SNP party, is about securing and delivering independence.
“So, we might not – in fact we absolutely will not – share the views of whoever we help into power, but if it unlocks the door to our independence future, well then we will absolutely do whatever we have to do to deliver that.
“That is the point of voting SNP, is for good governance in Scotland, and the route to independence at Westminster, that's why people vote for us.
“We absolutely couldn't stand there and say, ‘Well, we could do this or we could do that with them, or we could do that with them, but we don't really like their politics’. The point is to leave their politics behind and repair back to Scotland for an independent future.”
At Holyrood, First Minister John Swinney has ruled out working with Reform UK – who are now joint-second with Labour on 17 MSPs – in any capacity.
Asked about the contradiction with Swinney’s position, Doogan said: “John Swinney's absolutely right to make sure that he protects the people of Scotland from the views and values, I use that term advisedly, of Reform.
“That's a very different scenario from leveraging consent from the UK Government for an independence referendum in Scotland, because we know what way that referendum will come.”
Doogan was then asked if he was excluding Reform UK when he said he would work with “anyone”.
He responded: “No, anyone means anyone.”
After the podcast recording, Doogan reached out to U-turn on his position.
He said: “The key point I was making, albeit clumsily, is that the SNP will demand Scotland’s democratic right to choose our own future is respected, regardless of who is in government at Westminster.
"The SNP is clear that the very real threat of a Nigel Farage Reform UK government makes it all the more important that Scotland has a choice over our future with an independence referendum.
"Unlike the Labour Party and the Tories, the SNP will never work with Reform or do any deals with them.
“What we will do is continue to fight for the democratic right of the people of Scotland to choose their own future – and voting SNP is the only way to lock Nigel Farage out of power in Scotland and secure an independence referendum."
You can watch the full episode of The National Podcast on YouTube or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
