SNP puts independence bid on page one, line one of their manifesto as party leader John Swinney vows to begin ‘immediate’ talks with Westminster on breaking up the UK if he wins a majority of Scottish seats

The SNP today pledged to begin ‘immediate’ negotiations with Westminster on independence if they win a majority of Scottish seats at the general election.

The separatists, as they had promised, put their long-running independence bid on the first page and first line of their manifesto ahead of polling day on 4 July.

Speaking at the launch of the document this morning, party leader John Swinney urged voters to back the SNP ‘for a future made in Scotland – for Scotland’.

The newly-installed First Minister, who succeeded Humza Yousaf last month, insisted the SNP didn’t want ‘independence for its own sake’.

He said breaking up the UK would enable the SNP to ‘protect our NHS’, ‘help people through tough times’, and forge a ‘stronger economy, and happier, healthier lives’. 

The manifesto states, should the SNP win a majority of the 57 Scottish seats being contested, that Mr Swinney would be ’empowered’ to begin independence talks.

‘If the SNP wins a majority of Scottish seats, the Scottish Government will be empowered to begin immediate negotiations with the UK Government to give democratic effect to Scotland becoming an independent country,’ it says.

But latest polls have shown the SNP – who have suffered a meltdown in support in recent months – could fall far short of that mark.

The SNP manifesto also included pledges to:

Push for an extra £1.6bn for NHS Scotland and protect it from privatisation;Rejoin the EU, re-enter the bloc’s single market and restore free movement;Demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages and ending of arms sales to Israel;Scrap the two-child benefit cap;Support the abolition of the House of Lords;Devolve powers to create a bespoke migration system for Scotland;Decriminalise drugs for personal use and introduce supervised drug consumption facilities;Scrap the Trident nuclear deterrent and invest the money into conventional defence and public services.

Speaking at the launch of the SNP manifesto this morning, party leader John Swinney urged voters to back the SNP ‘for a future made in Scotland – for Scotland’

The separatists, as they had promised, put their long-running independence bid on the first page and first line of their manifesto ahead of polling day on 4 July

The manifesto states, should the SNP win a majority of the 57 Scottish seats being contested, that Mr Swinney would be ’empowered’ to begin independence talks.

Mr Swinney dodged questions on whether, if the SNP fail to win a majority of Scottish seats this year, he would accept Scotland had voted to remain part of the UK

At the beginning of this month, a YouGov MRP model showed Labour were on course to be the largest party in Scotland by some margin

At the beginning of this month, a YouGov MRP model showed Labour were on course to be the largest party in Scotland by some margin.

Sir Keir Starmer’s party were forecast to win 34 Scottish seats, compared to the SNP’s 17 and the Tories’ five.

This would be a loss of 31 seats for the SNP, who won 48 Scottish constituencies at the 2019 general election.

Mr Swinney today dodged questions on whether, if the SNP fail to win a majority of Scottish seats this year, he would accept Scotland had voted to remain part of the UK.

The First Minister said he would not be ‘predicting the outcome of the election today’.

He told a press conference: ‘The democratic wishes of the people of Scotland were expressed at the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections.

‘Just a few miles from where we are today, there is a parliamentary majority in favour of independence and in favour of a referendum on the question of independence.

‘I have long made clear my view, and it’s my party’s view, that the best way to secure independence is through a democratic referendum.

‘The obstacle to that is the intrasigence of the UK Government.

‘So what this election gives people the chance to do is to intensify the pressure to secure Scottish independence and to bring that about by voting SNP in order for us to achieve a majority of Westminster seats.

‘So if anybody out there is keen for Scotland to become an independent country, the only vote they should cast is for the SNP because that’s the only way it’s going to happen.’

The SNP has spent the election campaign accusing a future Labour government of needing to cut public services, by sticking to strict fiscal rules.

Mr Swinney’s party, however, proposed three new rules in its manifesto, including multi-year spending plans, a ‘net worth rule’ which sought to take stock of the value of infrastructure investments rather than just the cost, and an upper limit on debt servicing costs.

Anti-independence campaigners said the SNP’s ‘narrow-minded and divisive obsession’ with breaking up the UK was ‘more blatant than ever’ at their manifesto launch.

Alastair Cameron, chair of Scotland in Union, said: ‘As promised, independence was page one, line one of the SNP election manifesto.

‘It may as well not have contained a single other sentence.

‘The SNP has made its narrow-minded and divisive obsession more blatant than ever in this manifesto launch.

‘The party simply doesn’t care about anything else, to the severe and long-standing detriment of Scots.

‘That’s why it’s so important that people across the country vote tactically to get rid of the SNP and elect candidates who care about Scotland’s real priorities.’

Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said: ‘The SNP’s entire manifesto can be summed up in one word – independence.

‘The first page is dedicated solely to splitting up Scotland from the rest of the UK. None of Scotland’s urgent priorities will get any focus from the SNP.

‘For John Swinney, independence comes before the economy, the NHS and everything else.’

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