SNP leader John Swinney rules out Holyrood talks with Reform UK
Summary
John Swinney, leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), ruled out talks with Reform UK as his party seeks to form the next Scottish government after winning the recent election. Although the SNP won the most seats, it fell short of a majority and will work with other parties except Reform UK to try to hold an independence referendum.Key Facts
- The SNP won a fifth consecutive Scottish Parliament election but is seven seats short of a majority.
- Labour and Reform UK both won 17 seats, Greens got 15, Conservatives 12, and Liberal Democrats 10.
- John Swinney will hold talks with other parties except Reform UK, whose Scottish leader Malcolm Offord was excluded.
- Swinney cited previous budget talks with Greens, Lib Dems, and cooperation with Labour and Conservatives on some issues.
- The SNP and Greens together have more pro-independence seats than ever before, but still need approval from the UK government for a referendum.
- Swinney aims to hold an independence referendum by 2028 despite UK government resistance.
- Reform UK’s Malcolm Offord called independence “a dead duck” and criticized the SNP as out-of-touch.
- Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay accused Swinney of falsely claiming support for another independence vote.
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