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John Swinney has been warned that he cannot let Nicola Sturgeon be a “backseat driver” in an SNP government as he prepares to take over as Scotland’s new first minister next week.
His coronation as the next SNP leader was sealed after his only rival for the job, Kate Forbes, announced she would take part in the leadership race.
Siwini promised that Forbes would play a “key” role in the government as he launched his campaign, after which Forbes announced he would accept the offer.
The 60-year-old party veteran, who was an ally of Sturgeon’s party and her loyal deputy for nine years, is being asked to give Ms Forbes a key say on policy so the party can make a clean break with its past.
An SNP source close to Ms Forbes said: I: “She has to have real influence over decision-making. We need real change. We can’t maintain continuity with the Sturgeon era.”
Chris McElhenney, general secretary of Alex Salmond’s Alba Party, said the result was a result of the SNP’s “old guard” surrounding Ms Sturgeon after Humza Yousaf announced her resignation earlier this week. “Unity,” he said.
“Nicola Sturgeon will be the backseat driver of John Swinney’s government,” he said. I. “He was the Queen’s Hand.” [Ms Sturgeon]. He is still the Queen’s servant and intends to carry out her orders. ”
when approaching Ia spokesperson for Mr. Swinney declined to comment on Mr. Alba’s claims.
Ms Sturgeon insisted this week that she no longer works behind the scenes for Mr Swinney and told reporters on Wednesday: “I’m happy to no longer be in the middle of political drama.”
Mr. Forbes surprised some of his supporters by refusing to run against Mr. Siwiny. He said in a statement that after a “candid” one-on-one meeting on Tuesday, he was convinced that he wanted to change parties.
Christian, a 34-year-old social conservative who narrowly defeated Yousaf in the race to replace Ms Sturgeon last year, said he recognized that “a lot of people may be disappointed”.
But she claimed Mr Shiwini wanted to return to “governance from the mainstream”. This is a sign that he has agreed to move away from left-wing, Green Party-led policies that have angered many of his own supporters.
He said Siwini had prioritized economic growth and fighting poverty, and said the net zero transition must be “with, not against” the oil and gas industry.
One SNP official who supported Swinney said: I Ms Forbes insisted it was “wise” to accept the government job and allow the coronation. “John wants to utilize all the talent at his disposal,” they said.
Another source close to Mr Swinney said Mr Forbes had resigned because he realized he could not win with his SNP membership.
But they tipped her to be given a senior economic job by the next Prime Minister, either as Chancellor of the Exchequer or as Secretary for the Welfare Economy, Net Zero and Energy.
SNP voters support Mr Swinney over Mr Forbes by 30% to 21%, according to an Ipsos poll. However, she received 26-20 support from the general public.
SNP MP Douglas Chapman, a supporter of Forbes, said if Ms Siwinnie was “serious” about a broader push for Scottish independence, she would have a big say in the government’s policy agenda. I warned him that he would get the right.
“Kate has the capacity as a senior minister to connect with a wide range of people who still need to be convinced of Scotland’s potential as an independent country,” he said. I.
Mr Yousaf announced earlier this week that he would resign as leader of the SNP after his decision to abandon a power-sharing agreement with the Greens without negotiating backfired.
Ms Siwiny’s supporters had argued that given her aversion to religious views, she was more likely to have the support of the Greens than Mr Forbes in running a minority government.
She ran into trouble during the 2023 leadership election when she said she would not vote to legalize same-sex marriage.
But Mr Swinney, who was leader of the opposition SNP from 2000 to 2004, may still struggle to pass the bill if Mr Forbes succeeds in luring his party away from the Greens on transgender and climate change policies. .
Speaking at a launch event in Edinburgh, Mr Swinney said he was best placed to “bring the SNP back together” and admitted the party was currently “not cohesive” enough to push for independence. .
He also denied speculation he would act as interim leader, insisting he was “not an interim leader” and would lead the party “beyond” the general election and 2026 Holyrood Island vote. He insisted that he wanted to go there.
James Mitchell, professor of public policy at the University of Edinburgh, said the “Stop Forbes” campaign organized by party leaders this week had been successful. “The SNP establishment, led by Nicola Sturgeon, has rallied around John Swinney.”
He added: “He was as close to Sturgeon as anyone, so it will be difficult for him to distance himself from what has happened in recent years.”
Polling expert Mark Diffley said: I The soon-to-be party leader will help ensure regular SNP voters are able to vote when they go to the polls. “Mr Swinney is entitled to claim he is in a better position than Forbes to stabilize the SNP’s core vote ahead of the general election.”
Scottish Labor officials said the turmoil, which resulted in a change of leadership, would boost hopes of winning the most seats in Scotland in the general election.
One person said Swinney “kept the car in neutral.” Another said Scottish voters’ desire for change would be further strengthened by the arrival of “failed leaders of the past”.
Mr Siwiny is due to formally take over as prime minister next week, and the Greens are expected to support him in the Holyrood vote once Mr Yousaf formally steps down.