Latest news with #Ewing
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
FERGUS EWING: The SNP has lost its way...I can no longer defend the indefensible
For 26 years I have had the privilege to be the MSP for Inverness and Nairn. I am enormously grateful for having had the opportunity to serve. Over that time, I have seen the Scottish parliament at its best and its worst. I fear in recent years it has been at its worst. That is why I am announcing my decision to stand as an independent for the honour of representing the people of Inverness and Nairn for the seventh time. I want to help get the Scottish parliament back to its best. I have taken this decision because I love the people of Inverness and Nairn and the people of Scotland more than my party, which I have been in for more than half a century. The SNP has been part of the fabric of my life during that time. Indeed, there has been a distinctive thread of Ewing running through its plaid for even longer. But fabrics can become worn. I hope the SNP can repair itself and return to the honour and traditions of those who first wove it in a manner that meets Scotland's needs. The failures of the SNP to deliver on its long-standing pledges to dual the A9 and A96 are a major part of that. I cannot stand again for the SNP and defend the indefensible. I believe the SNP has lost its way and that devolution itself – presently – is letting Scotland's people down. Holyrood is more fractious and tribal than ever before. Too much power rests unchecked in the hands of party leaders, free to choose candidates who will slavishly support them, rather than stand up for the people who sent them to Holyrood. Choosing the pliant over the talented. I did not join the SNP in order that the SNP run Scotland. I joined to see Scotland run her own affairs. And deliver a better, fairer country. Over the 14 years as a government minister I tried every day to help ordinary people, and to improve their lives. But over the past decade, the party seems to have deserted many of the people whose causes we used to champion. In oil and gas, farming, fishing, rural Scotland, tourism, small business and many other areas of life. Betraying generations who fought for women's rights. It's time for Holyrood to live up to the high expectations people rightly held for it, when my mother, Winnie, reconvened our own parliament in 1999. It came of age some years ago – surely now it's time for it to grow up. Over the past four years on the backbenches, I sought to offer advice as a critical friend, warning Nicola Sturgeon that to enter a pact with the Green Party was a strategic blunder which would only damage us. Then we saw the Bute House Agreement, negotiated by the present First Minister, gradually disintegrate as inherent flaws in its policies were exposed as manifestly impracticable and wholly unaffordable. These failures – plus a strange preoccupation with issues largely irrelevant to most people's lives – have all cost the SNP the loss of electoral support but also something else which is priceless. Public trust. Scotland is indeed in a state of 'managed decline', as Sir Tom Hunter recently said. To arrest that decline the main parties must work more closely together and replace brittle bickering with reasoned debate and the cross party co-designing of, for example, reform of public services and maximising economic growth and opportunity over the next ten to 20 years. Scotland and the UK now face the most serious economic challenges in an unstable world, with absurdly high energy prices threatening industry alongside staggering levels of national debt. To deal with these looming crises the main parties need to work together, whether in a grand coalition or a less formal arrangement. In each party there are people of talent and experience and a Cabinet of all of the best people could best serve Scotland. At present we can and do work together on committees in Holyrood; in cross party campaigns and in the constituency. I have myself sought to do so on every possible occasion both in Scotland and with many UK ministers and politicians. Ordinary people accept that they must work together in their own workplace –with everyone – whether they choose them as friends and allies or not. They don't have a pointless slanging match every Thursday as the supposed 'high point' of their week. It's time for politicians to work together for the interests of the nation. In short: It's time for Holyrood to grow up. We all can and must rise to this challenge. I do not need to stand again. I want to do so to serve the people of Inverness and Nairn and the people of Scotland. I want to use what experience I have to help bring about the kind of Scotland that our people deserve and strive for. That's achievable if we can set aside differences and work for the common weal. For those who say this is but a naive dream, let me ask this: How with just more of the same can we hope to turn around our parliament and help create the economic success over the next decades that in turn will enable quality public services? The same lack of delivery, the same blame game of 'it wasnae me' and lack of humility? It is better to heal division and work together in a national endeavour. Such an approach will be liable to attract far more people to stand for parliament. The most successful session of our parliament in the view of many people was from 2007 to 2011. It's no coincidence that was a minority government, and when cooperation between parties was at its greatest.
STV News
7 hours ago
- Politics
- STV News
Ewing's solo bid threatens to turn SNP stronghold into political battleground
Fergus Ewing's decision to stand as an independent in the Holyrood election next year doesn't come as a huge surprise. He has been hinting at this ever since he announced he wouldn't be standing for the SNP. Ewing has frequently been described as a thorn in the party's side in recent years. In fact, he has been a full bed of roses given the number of issues he has disagreed with them on – the deposit return scheme, gender reform, marine protected areas, the dualling of the A9 and A96. The Ewing name is of course steeped in SNP history. Fergus Ewing has been an MSP since 1999. He served as a government minister for 14 years. But now he is no longer a member of the party – he will sit as an independent backbencher at Holyrood for the rest of this parliamentary term. Then next year he will be taking on the SNP party machine in the election. That runs the risk for the SNP of splitting their vote, and allowing a challenger to squeeze through the middle and take what has been a safe seat. So the Fergus Ewing headache looks set to continue for some time yet for the SNP. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
STV News
10 hours ago
- Politics
- STV News
'Ludicrous' policies kicked SNP independence dream into long grass, says Ewing
Veteran MSP Fergus Ewing says 'ludicrous' policies linked to the SNP's coalition with the Greens set back the party's long-term dream of achieving independence. Speaking to STV News after announcing he will stand as an independent at next year's Holyrood elections, Ewing said it 'wasn't an easy decision' but he felt the party had 'deserted many of the people whose causes we used to champion'. Ewing, 67, has represented Inverness and Nairn for the SNP since 1999, but party rules state that membership ceases when a member plans to stand against the party. He said: 'Just for the avoidance of doubt, I haven't left the SNP. It's up to them to decide whether or not they want to do anything about [my membership].' Ewing said he has 'wrestled with his conscious' for a long time out of loyalty to the party and the First Minister. Ultimately, he said he couldn't reconcile his values with the party's current direction. Ewing said he began to have doubts about the direction of the SNP in the latter years of Nicola Sturgeon's government when he said he had to 'bite his tongue quite seriously'. He claims people feel 'scunnered' with the government, and 'let down by the Scottish Parliament that they still very much support'. Ewing added the SNP has 'ceased to be champions for the people of Scotland'. Describing the Greens as a 'fringe' party with 'really extreme socialist policies', Ewing said: 'It was really the fatal deal with the Greens, which unravelled fairly quickly, that really caused me to have serious doubts. Perhaps I've wrestled with them for too long.' He added: 'Why we have focused away into side issues like who should use which toilet just completely baffles me, as I believe it baffles the majority of people in Inverness, Nairn, and Scotland as a whole.' As a result, Ewing believes that trust in the party has been eroded, which the SNP needs to rebuild. 'Independence is in my DNA and I believe that's the ultimate aim for Scotland,' Ewing said. 'You do not want a divided country, and I'm afraid what we have at the moment is a divided country, and the economy is a matter of managed decline,' Ewing said. Ewing said there needs to be a 'relentless focus' on the economy, public service reform, and a focus on righting the NHS over the next ten years to 'win back that trust and confidence'. He added: 'That creates circumstances where people are ready to move to a new chapter of independence,' Ewing said. 'We're nowhere near that now, and there's no point in me trying to deny it.' 'But I'm afraid that's the SNP over the last few years – trying to deny the fact that we've eroded that trust by supporting a whole series of unaffordable, undeliverable, impracticable, and frankly at times ludicrous policies mostly imported from the Green party. 'And we still haven't got rid of that Green legacy. It's still there hanging over us.' Ewing may have blamed Sturgeon's deal with the Scottish Greens for 'most of the problems that we've seen for the SNP over the last four years', but he insisted his decision is not personal. Despite his issues with the direction of the SNP, Ewing said he would not be drawn into fighting against 'any particular individual politician or party'. 'I'm fighting for a better Parliament, and to stand up for the people in Inverness and Nairn who have stood by me, as I hope I have stood by them for 26 years,' he said. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
The Herald Scotland
10 hours ago
- Politics
- The Herald Scotland
Fergus Ewing's Break with the SNP Explained:
SNP family legacy Fergus Ewing, the long-serving SNP MSP for Inverness and Nairn, has confirmed he will stand as an independent candidate in the 2026 Holyrood election. Mr Ewing's ties to the Scottish National Party run deep — he was, as he has said before, 'literally born into the SNP'. His mother, the late Winnie Ewing, is a party legend, famously winning the 1967 Hamilton by-election — a breakthrough moment for the SNP — and reconvening the Scottish Parliament in 1999 as its eldest member. Politics is a family affair for Mr Ewing. His sister, Annabelle Ewing, is also an SNP MSP, while his late wife, Margaret Ewing, served as an MP and MSP for the party between the 1970s and early 2000s. Winnie Ewing with Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon (Image: PA) Long-serving MSP and minister Mr Ewing has represented the Highlands in Holyrood since the first elections in 1999 — initially for Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber, and, since 2011, for its successor seat, Inverness and Nairn. He spent 14 years in government, serving under both Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, with portfolios ranging from community safety and tourism to energy and rural affairs. His final ministerial post was Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy. Despite his loyal service, Mr Ewing has long had an independent streak — something he says voters appreciate. 'Frankly, if they wanted a doormat, they'd have gone to B&Q.' Fergus Ewing in Holyrood's ministerial lift. Clashes, controversy and confidence votes In recent years, Mr Ewing's willingness to speak out has led to open conflict with SNP leadership. He was a vocal critic of the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens, calling it a 'strategic blunder'. He also opposed several high-profile policies, including: The Deposit Return Scheme A proposed ban on new gas boilers Plans to designate 10% of Scotland's seas as Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) He famously ripped up an HPMA consultation document in parliament, calling it a 'notice of execution' for the fishing industry. Fergus Ewing ripping up the HPMA consultation (Image: NQ) In 2022, he voted against gender recognition reforms, defying the party whip. The breaking point came in 2023, when he supported a no-confidence motion against Green minister Lorna Slater, resulting in a one-week suspension from the SNP group. Mr Ewing remained unapologetic: 'The SNP I joined would never have asked me… to choose between loyalty to party and loyalty to constituents.' He criticised what he called a culture of 'sourness and hostility' in the party and accused the leadership of preferring 'obedient and pliant' candidates. The road to standing as an independent In March 2025, Mr Ewing announced he would not seek re-selection as an SNP candidate, citing the party's broken promises on dualling the A9 and A96. 'I cannot, with honour, stand up in front of my constituents and say I am standing as an SNP candidate,' he said. He accused the SNP of deserting key voter groups, including farmers, fishermen and North Sea oil workers. On June 20, Mr Ewing confirmed he would run as an independent in the 2026 election. 'This has not been an easy decision,' he said, 'but I love the people of Inverness and Nairn more than my party.' He called for Holyrood to move beyond partisan bickering and return to 'its best'. A High-Profile Showdown Mr Ewing will now face off against his own party. The SNP has selected Highlands and Islands list MSP Emma Roddick to contest the seat. First Minister John Swinney expressed 'deep regret' over Mr Ewing's decision, saying he had the option to stand again. While Mr Ewing insists he has not formally quit the SNP, party sources say standing as an independent constitutes a public resignation — a breach of Article 4.4 of the party's constitution, which states that membership ceases upon death, resignation, or failure to pay dues. In 2021, Mr Ewing won 47.7% of the vote in Inverness and Nairn, securing a 9,114-vote majority over Conservative candidate Sir Edward Mountain. Emma Roddick outside Parliament Regardless of what happens next May, Mr Ewing looks set to remain a thorn in the side of the SNP. Deborah Anderson Andrew Learmonth; Kathleen Nutt; Hannah Brown; Rebecca McCurdy Catherine Salmond; Derek McArthur Hello, Would it not be easier for us to have this as a live banner though that we can ask people to attach to their files? Deborah Andrew Learmonth Kathleen Nutt; Hannah Brown; Rebecca McCurdy Deborah Anderson; Catherine Salmond undefined 60% of recipients have opened this mail. undefined Hello, Can we start adding this source code to the bottom of every politics article? It will bring up an advert and a link to Unspun Live. To add it you need to click this button on Martini. That will take you into HTML mode. And then scroll down to the bottom of the article and then copy and paste the code below. If you click on the source button again you should be able to see if it's worked. @Deborah Anderson Can we get colleagues to do this when they're working on politics tales?
Spectator
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Spectator
Ewing snubs SNP ahead of Holyrood election
With less than 11 months to go until the Holyrood election, things aren't looking quite as rosy for the SNP as in previous elections. The party is 15 points down on where it was 2021, it lost the recent Hamilton by-election with Reform hot on its heels and now it has been dealt another blow. SNP veteran Fergus Ewing has confirmed that he will run as an independent at the 2026 Scottish parliament election, turning his back on a political institution he has represented in Holyrood for over a quarter of a century. It's quite the move from a politician who grew up as SNP royalty, being the son of the party's first female MP Winnie Ewing. His mother's victory in the 1967 Hamilton by-election signalled a breakthrough for Scottish nationalists; Ewing's departure from the party may indicate a rather different kind of pivot. Ewing has represented the constituents of Inverness and Nairn since 1999 but in March this year said he would not stand for the SNP in 2026. Today he confirmed that he will still pursue a career in frontline politics, but this time he will stand against the party he grew up in. The SNP is 'no longer the party for all of Scotland', the 67-year-old lamented. He accused Scotland's party of government for having 'deserted many of the people whose causes we used to champion' and added: 'I believe the SNP has lost its way and that devolution itself – presently – is letting Scotland's people down. Holyrood is more fractious and tribal than ever before.' The MSP has been an ardent critic of the nationalists in recent years, with Nicola Sturgeon's Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens a catalyst for his public disowning of the SNP. Vocal on issues including growth, infrastructure, women's rights and rural issues, much of what what the Greens stood for – with their relaxed attitude to growth, being avidly in favour of highly-protected marine areas at the expense of highland and island communities and backing gender reform – was anathema to Ewing. Indeed the writing has long been on the wall. Last April, in an interview with the The Spectator , he insisted his 'absolute red line' for his membership of the SNP was the dualling of the A9 and A96 in the north of Scotland. This project – which the SNP began planning for almost 20 years ago – has still not been completed. Ewing was a frequent disrupter during Humza Yousaf's premiership – and eventually got himself suspended after he voted against the government during a no-confidence vote in then-junior minister and Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater. Not that Ewing is in any way embarrassed by the scraps he has found himself in with his own party over the years. 'I think democracy needs an awkward squad,' he told The Spectator. 'I won on the DRS [Deposit Return Scheme], I won on HPMAs [Highly Protected Marine Areas], I won on heat pumps, I won on gender reforms – although people like Joanna Cherry were leading the running. And I've won on getting the Greens out of government.' And the Nairn MSP has never been shy about his disapproval of the progressive direction the SNP has moved in recent years. He sums up his approach to politics: 'Am I an Inverness man in Holyrood? Or am I an SNP apologist in Inverness?' He backed now-deputy FM Kate Forbes for the leadership as an admirer of her own religious background and socially conservative views. In the days when pro-independence party Alba was a little more vocal, Ewing suggested that it was only Forbes who would be able to heal the wounds of the Yes movement, and bring pro-indy supporters back into the fold. Perhaps – if he's successful next year – Forbes will ensure he's not entirely excluded from the fold. Of course this depends firstly on whether Ewing's bid is successful. It's hard to run and win as an independent candidate – although famously Margo McDonald proved it could be done after the SNP. And after winning his constituents' trust in every single Holyrood election since the creation of the Scottish parliament, Ewing might just manage it.
