John Swinney wants Scottish Parliament to be ‘fully Farage-proofed’ by 2029

Scotland must have the power to decide its own future in the UK ahead of the next general election, John Swinney has insisted – with the SNP leader making clear he wants the country to be “fully Farage-proofed”.

Less than 24 hours after being re-elected as Scotland’s first minister, he took aim at Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party – who won their first seats in the Scottish Parliament, coming in joint second place with Labour.

With elections elsewhere in the UK putting Plaid Cymru ahead in Wales, and with a Sinn Féin first minister in place in Northern Ireland, Swinney also took the opportunity to warn Westminster of the growing “significance” of the so-called “Celtic fringe”.

His comments came the day after the SNP won 58 seats at Holyrood in what was the party’s fifth consecutive election victory there.

However, the SNP fell short of the overall majority Swinney had fought for in a bid to try to force a second independence referendum.

Speaking to supporters in Edinburgh on Saturday – including some of his new MSPs – Swinney noted “there are now set to be first ministers in Wales, Northern Ireland and in Scotland all committed to fundamental constitutional change”.

He added: “If Westminster has not yet grasped the significance of this moment, then it certainly will come to appreciate it in the weeks and months ahead, believe me.

“Because the direction of travel is clear – what people in London like to refer to rather patronisingly as the Celtic fringe is very much about to become centre stage.”

Earlier in the day, Swinney had posed for photographs with the new SNP group of MSPs, who celebrated the result at the top of Edinburgh’s Calton Hill.

The first minister pointed out that the 58 SNP MSPs, combined with the record 15 Scottish Green MSPs, meant there are “now more pro-independence MSPs than at any time in the history of the Scottish Parliament”.

He insisted Holyrood be given powers over a referendum – saying the “way forward on this must be made in Scotland”.

With Reform UK having made gains in England in council elections, the SNP leader added: “The results across the UK made clear why the need for independence is so urgent.

We will always be on Scotland’s side and we are ready to serve. pic.twitter.com/nqYDKFu8zj

— John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) May 9, 2026

“Nigel Farage is now galloping towards Downing Street and the prospect of a Reform-led government is more likely than not.”

That, he said, gave rise to the prospect of the UK having a “prime minister who is openly hostile to minority groups, who has called for the privatisation of the NHS and the abolition of the Scottish Parliament”.

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The first minister added: “It is vital we unite in Scotland to ensure our Parliament is fully Farage-proofed.

“That means having the power before 2029 to decide our own constitutional future without Farage being able to block us.”

While he accepted the SNP had not won an overall majority in Holyrood in the election, Swinney said this “does not change the underlying fact that despite all the attempts to stop us for the fourth election in a row there is a pro-independence mandate in the new Scottish Parliament”.