LORNA Finn might not be a name you necessarily recognise, but it’ll be familiar to you by the end of the day as she’ll be announcing the winner of the SNP leadership contest.
But what role does she play within the party?
Who is Lorna Finn?
She is part of the SNP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) as national secretary, and was tasked with overseeing the leadership election amid concerns about the impartiality of former chief executive Peter Murrell. The ballots are issued and counted by independent company Mi-Voice.
The national secretary is responsible for all party elections.
Finn announced the SNP special conference, which had been planned for March, would be postponed for the contest to take place saying: “It would be wrong to have a newly elected leader tied to a key decision on how we deliver democracy in Scotland in the face of continued Westminster intransigence.”
Finn came under pressure recently when all three candidates said they wanted membership numbers to be made public. It was eventually revealed the party had lost 30,000 members since 2021. The party previously denied this, which lead to Murrell and the head of communications Murray Foote resigning from their posts.
When will Lorna Finn know the result?
The result will be sent to Finn after the ballots close on March 27 but she will not have access to any live data prior to that, it is understood. The result will be made public as soon as it is determined and candidates have been told.
What did she say about Nicola Sturgeon?
Following the resignation, Finn said of Sturgeon: “Nicola has been the outstanding politician of this generation.
“We are very fortunate that she will remain an SNP MSP and a leading campaigner for an independent Scotland.
“But the SNP is full of talented individuals and they now have the opportunity to put themselves forward and our new leader will lead us into the final phase of Scotland’s journey towards independence.”
