Why John Swinney's bad start puts him on course for the same fate as Keir Starmer
With the ambitious Stephen Flynn waiting in the wings, John Swinney’s leadership skills are coming under pressure
“What an absolutely pathetic spectacle to bring to parliament. My leadership was on the line on the general election on May 7. It was paraded by every one of my political rivals, Mr Sarwar (points), Mr Findlay (points), week after week, questioning my integrity, so it was on the line. And the people of Scotland sent me in here to lead this country, to lead this government, and to lead it with privilege and with pride and I’ll always serve the people of Scotland. And Mr Sarwar and Mr Findlay (points at both again) will always remain on the backbenches, sent out there with a... a ringing... a ringing message from the people of Scotland: they’re not listening to either of them.”
John Swinney’s slightly fluffed his angry denunciation of the Scottish Labour and Conservative leaders in the debate over the Peter Murrell scandal during First Minister’s Questions, but he certainly managed to convey how strongly he feels about the SNP’s position as a victim of the party’s former chief executive.
However, his attempts to persuade everyone to move on are clearly not working. Rather than dying down, the Murrell affair appears to be growing legs with each passing day.
The real victims
Swinney’s insistence that it’s not necessary to hold an inquiry to answer questions like how on earth Murrell was able to embezzle more than £400,000 over a 12-year period without anyone noticing is only adding to the suspicions of opposition MSPs, the public and, in all likelihood, SNP supporters whose donations were stolen.
They are the victims. The cash may have been taken from SNP accounts but it was gifted by them on the assumption it would be safe. That the party’s financial controls were so lax a single individual could get away was larceny on such a scale, for so long, means the SNP needs to be careful about overplaying the ‘victim card’.
READ MORE: Why Scotland can expect a snap election and a new government within just two years – Adam Morris
After victory in the 2024 general election, Keir Starmer got off to a bad start with the row over pensioners' winter fuel allowance. Swinney's start has been arguably even worse and could end up setting the tone of this government for some time.
With ambitious new broom Stephen Flynn – the SNP’s answer to Wes Streeting – waiting to sweep him away, Swinney needs to rethink his position on Murrell, stop fluffing his lines and find a success story to trumpet. Otherwise, Starmer’s imminent fate may soon be his too.
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