John Swinney injects a sense of optimism as SNP activists show willingness to fight

Despite receiving a thrashing at last year’s general election and then losing the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election earlier this year, party members seem quietly confident and hopeful for the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

This is a far cry from the downbeat atmosphere at last year’s SNP conference, although still not quite reaching the heydays of the post-2014 years.

The most recent polling suggests the SNP will remain the largest party in Scotland, as Scots grow increasingly frustrated with other voting options and as the rise of Reform UK splits the unionist vote.

When Mr Swinney took to the stage, his lectern was emblazoned with a single word - “independence”.

Read The Steamie - our dedicated politics newsletter

This was the big talking point of the conference, which is to be expected at an SNP conference.

Mr Swinney’s tone seems to have shifted slightly as he tried to convince delegates that independence was on the horizon and within their grasp.

It is a good strategy for him to take. The party faithful want nothing more than to clap and cheer at the prospect of independence.

But further than that, polling suggests that support for independence is around 50 per cent. Support for the SNP is standing at 35 per cent.

This is enough to win the election next year, but it suggests there is a good chunk of pro-independence Scots who are disillusioned with Westminster, but not yet ready to back the SNP at the election. Trying to appeal to these voters could serve the party well in the long run.

Mr Swinney was brought in as the man to steady the ship and bring the party together.

That seemed like a tall order after a couple of years of chaos in the nationalist camp. But what we saw at this week’s conference is a man who has achieved that very goal. This was particularly seen when his independence strategy was overwhelmingly backed by members on Saturday afternoon.

This plan would involve Mr Swinney calling for a referendum if his party wins a majority of seats at the May ballot. The majority would be 65 seats - something that has only been done once before in the history of devolution.

Speaking to party members after the debate, they seemed happy with Mr Swinney’s proposal. His former boss Nicola Sturgeon also told journalists the incumbent First Minister is right to be that ambitious and set the bar as high as he has.

The big challenge now is delivering on the promises Mr Swinney has made ahead of the election.

This includes the promise to make sure no one waits more than 12 months for a hospital appointment, and the new commitment to launch walk-in GP surgeries that are open seven days a week until 8pm within a year.

Healthcare and the NHS is the biggest priority for voters across Scotland. They will be unforgiving if these bold promises are not kept and could put a dent in the SNP’s hopes for victory.

However it is not those in the room at the conference that Mr Swinney needs to convince - they are always going to lend him their vote on polling day. He needs to appeal to the punters outside the conference hall that he deserves another five years in charge and paint a positive picture of what he can do to make Scotland better for all.