Farage may not be in office but he is very much in power, says Swinney
John Swinney has said Nigel Farage is 'very much in power' at Westminster despite not being in office, as he gathered his candidates a year ahead of the Scottish election.
The Reform UK leader featured prominently in the First Minister's speech, as he said Sir Keir Starmer had 'opened the door' for Mr Farage and claimed only the SNP would confront him.
Mr Swinney's party also revealed their slogan ahead of the Scottish Parliament election in a year's time – On Scotland's Side.
The First Minister spoke to a crowd of supporters in Edinburgh as he was joined on stage by the SNP candidates who will be running in constituencies next year.
This group will include a contingent of former SNP MPs who lost their Westminster seats at the general election.
Mr Swinney began his speech by urging party members to pay tribute to SNP MSP Christina McKelvie, who died recently, by campaigning in her constituency's by-election and helping to 'fulfil her dream of an independent Scotland'.
He reflected on his first year in office as First Minister, saying: 'We know that when the SNP does well, Scotland does well.
'So let us resolve today – in 2026, the SNP are going to win for Scotland.'
He set out the SNP's recent policies in government, including the pledge to mitigate the two-child benefit cap and ensuring a winter fuel payment for pensioners.
Mr Swinney said last week's election results in England should be a 'wake-up call' and it is 'no longer fanciful to suggest that Nigel Farage could be prime minister in a few years'.
He said: 'Keir Starmer and the Labour party have opened the door to Farage.
'Because they have failed to stand up to him.
'Dancing to Farage's tune on immigration. Too scared to admit Brexit has been a disaster …
'At Westminster, Nigel Farage may not be in office - but he is very much in power.'
He added: 'We will never do any deals with Farage.
'Only the SNP will confront Farage and defeat Farage.'
Mr Swinney said he wanted to see an 'enterprising, outward-looking and compassionate Scotland' with the powers of independence.
There were cheers from supporters when he said he wanted to see 'human rights, including LGBTQI+ rights, not as something to denigrate, but as the bedrock of a society'.
Mr Swinney continued: 'A year today, I don't just want to win - I want us to shift the tectonic plates of Scottish politics and create a wave of hope that will overcome Westminster's wall of despair.'
Taking questions from journalists, Mr Swinney said there is 'nothing attractive' about the rise of Reform, even in constituencies where it may hinder his opponents.
He later suggested Mr Farage's politics would push more people towards supporting Scottish independence, saying the Reform UK leader is a 'different kettle of fish' to Tory leaders like Boris Johnson and the 'antithesis of kindness'.
In April, Mr Swinney chaired a summit to battle the rise of the far right, which he said included Reform UK.
Other political parties, including Labour, attended the summit but the Conservatives did not take part.
In response, Reform UK – which was not invited – described the SNP leader as a 'democracy denier' and accused him of being scared of the party's popularity.
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