John Swinney dodges question over SNP falling short of majority and is challenged over business rates
John Swinney said he is focused on forming the next government as the SNP leader argued he has put his party in a place it can retain power at Thursday’s election
John Swinney has refused to say whether the SNP falling short of an elusive Holyrood majority would be a failure - insisting he is focused on forming the next Scottish government.
The SNP leader was speaking in Hamilton on the final full day of campaigning before polls open for the Holyrood election on Thursday.
All national polls have forecast the SNP will be the biggest party following the election, but Mr Swinney has aimed high - targeting an overall majority as the benchmark for success he believes will trigger his plan for the UK government to agree to a re-run of the 2014 independence referendum.
But during the campaign event in the South Lanarkshire town, Mr Swinney was challenged over the SNP’s business rates changes - something the First Minister committed to revisit if re-elected to office.
Speaking to the First Minister in Hamilton, Gavin Boyle, operations manager at the Wunderbar venues in Glasgow, argued that “we just don’t understand how a 438 per cent rise in business rates is acceptable”.
In response, Mr Swinney said: “The assessments are made independently by assessors and they consider all the developments that take place in relation to individual businesses.
“There are obviously individual cases that go in different directions - some are having reductions in business rates, some are seeing increases in business rates, some are extreme examples”.
Speaking to journalists, the SNP leader said: “I’ve made clear that we will look again at the details of the business rates system to ensure the concerns that have been raised are properly addressed.
“All of this was looked at in the last parliament and the independent assessment has taken its course. It has thrown up some varied outcomes and some extreme outcomes. He put an extreme outcome to me today.
“I think it’s important that we consider those issues in the next parliament and I am committed to do so.”
Mr Swinney told journalists that since becoming SNP leader last May, he has put his party in a competitive position to retain power at the election.
Last year, Mr Swinney lost out to Labour in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, despite telling voters the contest was a straight fight between the SNP and Reform.
He said: “We’ve obviously made progress since the Hamilton by-election a year ago.
“In the context of my own leadership, when I became leader of the SNP we were predicted to achieve 35 seats in the Scottish Parliament election.
“The range of opinion polls suggests the number is significantly in excess of that, so we’ve made progress. This is a seat we need to win, so that’s why we are here.”
The SNP won a majority of seats in 2011, under Alex Salmond, which paved the way for the 2014 independence referendum.
Mr Swinney has been clear about his intention to repeat that feat, believing it opens the door for another vote on the constitution, based on what he calls a “precedent” of the first SNP majority.
Asked whether the SNP securing a victory without a majority would be seen as a failure, Mr Swinney said: “I’m just going to concentrate on winning the election.”
Asked if his cabinet minister Angus Robertson, who faces a three-way battle to retain his Edinburgh Central seat, will remain an MSP, Mr Swinney said: “Yes.”
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