First Minister John Swinney urged the UK government to agree to a referendum on Scottish independence if the Scottish National Party (SNP) wins a majority at next year’s Holyrood election, as his government published the latest paper in a series on the constitution.
Speaking in Edinburgh, Swinney said Scots should "come together and demand a say over our future," pressing Westminster to accept a referendum mandate if the SNP secures a majority of seats at Holyrood. The paper, one of several the Scottish government has produced on constitutional arrangements, outlines arguments the government says strengthen the case for a legally sanctioned vote.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer dismissed the call as "distraction politics," saying he did not expect the SNP to win a majority in next year’s election. On a visit to the BAE Systems shipyard in Glasgow, Starmer defended his government's immigration policies and urged Swinney to work with Westminster to support jobs in Scotland. The prime minister also rejected what he described as a failure to welcome a recent shipbuilding deal, a claim Swinney said merited an apology.
Swinney accused politicians in Westminster, including the prime minister, of using "utterly chilling" language when discussing immigrants, a criticism he raised alongside his constitutional arguments. He linked the case for a referendum to broader democratic questions about who should decide Scotland’s future and called for public engagement ahead of the election campaign.
The publication of the new paper continues a long-running constitutional debate between Holyrood and Westminster about the circumstances under which a legally binding independence referendum could be held. The UK government has repeatedly resisted unilateral referendums, and successive prime ministers — including former Conservative leader Boris Johnson — have characterised the 2014 independence vote as a "once in a generation" event.
Legal and political questions remain unresolved. The Scottish government argues that a majority result at a Holyrood election would provide a clear democratic mandate for a referendum; Westminster maintains that any future vote requires its agreement or a legislative path that both governments accept. The latest paper sets out the Scottish government's case ahead of what is expected to be a closely watched campaign.
Political commentators and party leaders have begun positioning themselves for next year’s contest, with debate likely to focus on economic policy, public services and the governance implications of any move toward independence. Swinney and Starmer’s exchanges on jobs, immigration and shipbuilding are likely to feature during the campaign as both leaders seek to persuade voters of their approach to Scotland’s future.
The Scottish government did not provide a timetable for a referendum in the paper. Westminster officials reiterated that any formal decision on a referendum would require negotiation and legal clarity on the powers to hold one. With the Holyrood election approaching, the constitutional argument advanced by the Scottish government is poised to shape political debate across Scotland and the wider UK in the months ahead.
