Exclusive:John Swinney: Conservatives about to be 'consumed' by Nigel Farage's Reform

In an exclusive interview with The Steamie, The Scotsman’s politics podcast, the First Minister suggested any Reform MSPs elected to Holyrood in 2026 would not stick to Winnie Ewing’s vision of a cohesive and united parliament.

He also said he would not seek Reform UK’s support to pass a Budget if he leads an SNP minority government.

Mr Swinney took aim at the Scottish Conservatives voting against SNP policies such as free bus travel for asylum seekers, saying they were trying to mimic Reform in a bid to win back right-wing voters.

He said: “The Tories took aim at that very modest policy and I thought ‘my goodness, this is portent of things to come’. The Conservatives are trying to go ape by Reform and I think they’re about to be consumed by Reform, despite their best efforts to mimic them.

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“I am worried about them. I’ve always viewed this institution as a gathering place for people from all parts of the country and that is the type of country I want to live in.”

The latest polling suggests Reform could win as many as 13 seats in the 2026 Holyrood election, making them the fourth biggest party in Scotland. This polling also suggests the Conservatives would slump from their existing 31 seats to just 17, only narrowly ahead of Nigel Farage’s party.

Mr Swinney was asked if he was concerned about populist politicians entering Holyrood and if he would have to defend devolution to them.

He said: “I think that’s a very real possibility. When the King and Queen came here at the end of September, I spoke in response and I quoted Winnie Ewing’s first words on the official record of the Scottish Parliament in May 1999.

“She said she hoped members would come together and work to create cohesion and unity in the country. It didn’t matter where you came from, you would work together and be a welcoming country.

“I said that without exception for 25 years, every single member of the Scottish Parliament lived up to that aspiration, regardless of their politics.

“I suppose I am left wondering will that be the case in the future?”

Mr Swinney said Scottish politicians now needed to think carefully about how they reacted to the rise of Reform.

The Perthshire North MSP said: “[The 2025/26 Scottish Budget] is designed to be as inclusive as possible, which was our reaction to becoming a minority government. I am really, really pleased the Lib Dems, Greens and Alba have indicated they will support it.

“That’s a good indication that some parties are prepared to look at things differently. That’s the answer to the question - parties will have to think about their reaction to Reform because there will be things Reform will argue for and there’s no way I would put them in a Scottish Budget.

“I want to be as inclusive as I can, but not that inclusive. That’s the choice that faces Parliament.”

A spokesman for the Scottish Conservatives said: “John Swinney’s remarks show how detached he is from the views of mainstream Scots.

“Polling shows that SNP, Labour and Lib Dem voters agree with us that it is wrong to hand out free bus passes to asylum seekers, at the same time pensioners have had their winter fuel payments axed.

“Under Russell Findlay’s leadership, we are standing up for those who just want politicians to show some common sense for a change, and those who want fairness to taxpayers.”