SNP WESTMINSTER leader Stephen Flynn has said he is confident of securing a majority of seats at the next General Election – with Douglas Ross’s seat one of the targets.
The party will go into the next Westminster vote seeking to have the majority of Scottish MPs after members decided on an independence strategy.
Speaking to The National following the debate on the party's approach at the SNP conference, which is taking place in Aberdeen, Flynn said he would not be content with only holding the seats they currently have.
“I think we should be looking to make gains from the LibDems, I think we should be making gains from the Tories as well,” he said.
“I think Douglas Ross’s seat in particular is one that we should very much have our eye on.
“The polls have certainly narrowed in the course of recent months, I don’t think anyone can escape that.
“But what we do know is we still have a poll lead and we know in certain places it’s all to play for.
“When it’s all to play for, you need to be confident and assertive in your case – you need to have a passionate argument people can relate to.
“I’ve no doubt over the course of the coming weeks and coming months we will be able to convince our fellow Scots that a vote for the SNP ensures that Scotland’s voice is heard in the most powerful way possible.”
Scottish Tory leader Ross has previously said he will not stand again for Westminster, in order to focus on Holyrood.
On the issue of how to deal with the threat of Labour making gains in Scotland at the General Election, Flynn said it was important to focus on the issues which matter to the public.
“We know the people of Scotland are in dire straits because of the cost of living crisis and we need to make it clear to them that cost of living crisis is being created by Westminster and ultimately it is not going to be resolved by Westminster,” he said.
“So whether that’s energy prices, whether that’s mortgage rates, whether that’s food prices – the Westminster parties aren’t offering change that the SNP can offer through independence – that’s where my focus is and I’m sure that's where the focus of all my colleagues will be going into the election.”
He said the “big challenge” for Labour’s two Scottish MPs – Ian Murray and Michael Shanks – would be “standing up for the people of Scotland”.
“Will they do that, or will they simply do what Sir Keir Starmer tells them to do? We probably all know the answer to that,” he said.
While the SNP have seen some turbulent months, Flynn said the mood at conference was that people appeared to be “up for the fight”.
He said: “When there is a challenge, you need to rise to it.
“I feel there is an enthusiasm and a determination among our membership to do that – as if we don’t rise up and speak for Scotland, nobody will.”
