Swinney Declares Independence Campaign Under Way in Dig at Burnham
John Swinney told the SNP conference in Aberdeen that the campaign for a second independence referendum “has already begun”, launching a drive called Choose Scotland backed by a six-figure war chest. In a veiled retort to Andy Burnham, the First Minister said: “Some think we should just be like Manchester.” He added: “Scotland is no city. We are no region. We are a nation”. He also pledged to bring buses back into public control by 2031.
Burnham, whose agreement any vote requires under the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling, has told Swinney a second referendum is “off limits”. The pro-independence share of the vote fell from about 50% in 2021 to about 41% at May’s Holyrood election. Senior figures see a hung Westminster parliament as the likeliest route; Jenny Gilruth said polling suggests the SNP “would hold the balance of power”, though this week’s Electoral Calculus MRP gave the party 28 seats. Members also backed a motion supporting a UK-wide ban on X, and the party will review its use of the platform. Growing internal dissent and anger over public services threaten Swinney’s ambitions.