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About our SNP news
Latest news on the Scottish National Party (SNP), covering Scottish independence, John Swinney, Holyrood elections, IndyRef2, devolution and Scottish politics.
The SNP is Scotland's dominant political force, having governed at Holyrood since 2007. At the May 2026 Scottish Parliament election, the party won 58 seats to secure a fifth consecutive term in government under First Minister John Swinney, though it fell short of an outright majority. Reform UK surged from zero to 17 seats, matching Scottish Labour, reshaping the Holyrood landscape. The SNP also holds 9 seats at Westminster following heavy losses at the 2024 general election.
Scottish independence remains the SNP's defining cause. The party campaigned on a platform of delivering a second independence referendum, or IndyRef2, if re-elected, though the path to a legally binding vote remains blocked without Westminster consent. The UK Supreme Court ruled in 2022 that Holyrood cannot legislate for an independence referendum unilaterally, leaving the constitutional question unresolved. Swinney has vowed to push ahead with the case for independence, citing the rise of Reform UK as a further argument for Scotland charting its own course.
The party has faced serious internal turbulence in recent years. Peter Murrell, former SNP chief executive and husband of ex-First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, appeared in court in March 2025 charged with embezzlement as part of the long-running Operation Branchform investigation into SNP finances. Police Scotland confirmed that Sturgeon herself was no longer under investigation. The scandal and a sharp decline in membership have placed pressure on the party's organisational and financial foundations.
Beyond constitutional politics, the SNP government has championed a range of social democratic policies — including free prescriptions, the abolition of university tuition fees for Scottish students, and investment in the National Health Service. The party's civic nationalist platform draws broad support across Scotland's communities, though critics argue it has struggled to deliver meaningful change on NHS waiting times, education outcomes, and economic growth during its near two decades in power.
Founded in 1934 through the merger of the National Party of Scotland and the Scottish Party, the SNP spent decades on the fringes before winning its first Holyrood majority in 2011 under Alex Salmond. The 2014 independence referendum, which returned a 55% No vote, paradoxically turbocharged SNP membership and political dominance. Nicola Sturgeon's long tenure as First Minister cemented the party's grip on Scottish politics before her resignation in 2023, after which Humza Yousaf briefly led the party before his own resignation in April 2024 paved the way for Swinney's return.
The NewsNow SNP feed is your one-stop source for the most relevant headlines on Scotland's governing party as they break — from Holyrood debates and independence developments to policy announcements, party politics, and the ongoing legal proceedings surrounding Operation Branchform.
