The ghosts of first ministers past Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond still cast a shadow over SNP conference

Two of the big talking points from day two of the SNP conference in Aberdeen were not on what incumbent First Minister John Swinney was doing or saying, but what was being said about two of his predecessors, Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond.

Ever since Ms Sturgeon stepped down as SNP leader, she has still managed to hold a spotlight and generate headlines whenever the nationalists meet, and 2025 has proven to be no different.

She showed she still has the power to draw in a crowd when she turned up to sign copies of her memoir Frankly and pose for pictures with her fans among the party faithful.

It was a far cry from the stadium-sized crowds the former first minister used to be able to command, but it was certainly the big draw of the day at the conference.

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She seemed relaxed and at ease, comfortable in her new role away from frontline politics. She told journalists afterwards she will be emotional when it comes time to leave the Scottish Parliament for the final time next year, but maintains it is still the right decision for her to stand down as an MSP after 27 years.

There was an unintended consequence of her book signing crowd though - only a few metres away Mr Swinney was doing a walkabout through the exhibition hall. He was spotted quietly leaving the hall as the crowds turned their attention onto Ms Sturgeon instead.

The other big headline generator was the ‘in memoriam’ section, which pays tribute to SNP members who have died in the past 12 months. There was speculation as to whether Mr Salmond would be included or not, as he left the party in 2018 and went on to set up his own rival pro-independence party.

The memorial came exactly one year on from his death on October 12, 2024 in North Macedonia from a heart attack.

A video tribute to him celebrating an election win was played to the conference room, receiving a smattering of applause from the party members gathered. However, the 15-second tribute was not as long as the tributes for some other high-profile party members, including former presiding officer Sir George Reid and Christina McKelvie MSP.

The brief nod to Mr Salmond was criticised by his niece Christina Hendry, who said the video tribute played to the SNP conference “falls far short of what was deserved”.

It is perhaps not the two stories the party wanted out of day two of the party conference, but the attention does turn back to the current party leadership on Monday for the final day of the conference.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes will officially kick off the day with a speech in the morning and Mr Swinney will give his conference speech mid-afternoon.

His big task is getting the party excited about fighting the 2026 Scottish Parliament election. However, in his previous appearances at this year’s conference, we have seen more of Mr Swinney the activist rather than Mr Swinney the First Minister. That seems to have resonated with the party members, and he will need to build on that more on Monday afternoon.