Exclusive:'Piddling about the periphery': SNP veterans warn party in need of renewal after Hamilton by-election loss

The party’s surprise defeat to Scottish Labour in the seat vacated following the death of SNP MSP and minister Christina McKelvie defied the predictions of pollsters and pundits. First Minister John Swinney subsequently conceded the SNP “still have work to do” to address their electoral fortunes.

But former senior SNP figures at Holyrood and Westminster warned there were far-reaching challenges the party had to overcome, ranging from bolder approaches to bread-and-butter policy issues to its “out of date” digital campaigning infrastructure. Some went even further, claiming the party was “on the rocks”, and that its future under Mr Swinney was “grim”.

Stewart McDonald, the former SNP MP and party defence spokesman, said while Mr Swinney had brought order to a party that was a “total bin fire” when he took office”, that alone was “never going to be enough” to convince the electorate.

‘That myth has been torched’

“The truth is that some people in the party thought that ‘steadying the ship’, combined with an unpopular UK Labour government, would be enough - that myth has now been torched by voters in Hamilton,” Mr McDonald warned.

“Steadying the ship was only the first part of the renewal we needed to undertake post-general election, but an improved position in the polls led to some folk thinking we didn’t need to go through the sort of difficult effort of renewal that was required post-July 2024. We do.

“One example of that is the debacle over defence in the past week, which saw us posture in a way that looks weird to voters, and was a sign that we still have the psychology of a party living in a world that no longer exists. I’m not suggesting for a minute that alone is what cost us the seat. But in the last few days of the campaign we sounded like we weren’t living in the real world on an issue that voters expect politicians to take seriously.”

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Mr McDonald added: “The First Minister’s instincts are good and his analysis post July 2024 that we had stopped being the natural vehicle for aspirational Scotland was correct, and still stands. He now needs to double down on that and deliver real, tangible improvements in people’s standard of living, public realm and public services - all of which are well below where they ought to be in a country as wealthy as ours.”

‘Changing course’

Former SNP minister Alex Neil said the by-election result demonstrated the party could not simply “put the kettle on” next year. He cautioned the SNP would not secure another term in government without changing course.

“The Programme for Government has just been piddling about with stuff at the periphery - it needs to address the big issues folk are worried about, like health, education and jobs,” he said.

“Contrary to what the polls have been forecasting for next year, I don’t believe, and I’ve never believed, that the SNP are where they are at the moment. When you speak to people, even party members, there’s just no great enthusiasm.

“At the moment the party seems stuck and doesn’t know where it’s going. They need to set the agenda by having a radical Programme for Government that addresses the concerns of people, and there’s a lot of ground to be covered between now and next year if they’re to have any chance of forming a government.”

Jim Sillars, the former SNP MP and depute leader of the party, said Mr Swinney’s claim of bringing steadiness to the party was tantamount to “self-delusion”, hitting out: “It remains in the condition [Nicola] Sturgeon left it, on the political rocks and sinking.” He also criticised Mr Swinney’s approach to the by-election campaign, insisting it showed a lack of “leadership ability” and how “out of touch” he is.

Both Mr McDonald and Mr Neil said the party’s independence strategy under Mr Swinney’s leadership was another issue that divided opinion, although they differed in their opinion of how the party should approach the issue.

‘You’ve got to give people a reason to vote SNP’

“Some will say he needs to bang that drum much more loudly and, although he does need to spell out what his strategy on independence is, it would be a mistake to go down a fundamentalist route by resurrecting the de-facto referendum idea,” Mr McDonald said. “Down that road only lies more false promise and pain. Swinney’s instincts on independence are totally sound and he should stick to his guns.”

But Mr Neil, who served as a Cabinet secretary under the administrations of Ms Sturgeon and Alex Salmond, criticised the lack of “any kind of strategy around independence”, adding: “You’ve got to give people a reason to vote SNP. At the moment, there doesn’t appear to be an overwhelming reason for them to do so, and I think there’s a very real danger people who would have voted will stay at home next year because they’re not motivated.”

Mr Neil said the SNP would be best served by a leader who “is not associated with the failures of the past ten years to the extent that John is”. But he said it was all but inevitable that Mr Swinney would lead the party to next year’s election, given the lack of any credible challengers in its ranks.

Mr McDonald, meanwhile, said the party’s officials had work to do around data and the “ground game” when it comes to campaigning, describing its approach as “out of date”.

He explained: “We are still sending activists out with sheets of paper and old data, whilst Labour activists zip around with an app and real-time data. In a contest of digital versus analogue, digital will always win. I cannot overstate how frustrated activists are about this and the tentative steps made by SNP HQ to address it need to be ramped up big time.”

An SNP spokesperson said: "The SNP is focused on the issues that matter to people in Scotland - improving our NHS, helping families with the cost of living, and protecting Scotland from the Labour government's austerity cuts, including by restoring the winter fuel payment and ending the two child benefit cap.

“We will continue to listen to the views of people across Scotland to improve our public services, provide the best cost of living help anywhere in the UK, and offer the choice of a better future with independence."