Another five years of SNP government at Holyrood would be “catastrophic”, the Scottish Tory leader has insisted.
Russell Findlay claimed that if John Swinney is reinstalled as first minister after the 2026 elections, the country would “again be divided by nationalism”.
He hit out after the SNP leader said a “democratic majority” of pro-independence MSPs at that vote, in 12 months’ time, should lead to a second referendum on the future of the UK.
Mr Findlay, giving a speech in Edinburgh to mark a year until the Scottish Parliament election, told party supporters: “The thought of John Swinney’s SNP getting another five years in power keeps me awake at night.”
However, claiming that there are “many Labour politicians who are very, very soft on independence, borderline pro-independence if not privately pro-independence”, the Scottish Conservative leader added: “I do worry that Sir Keir Starmer is capable of doing anything quite frankly.”
He insisted only the Tories “can truly be trusted to stand up for the Union”.
His comments came after a speech in which he hit out at both at the Scottish First Minister and at Nigel Farage.
His comments came as a new poll indicated Reform UK could be the second largest party at Holyrood, with analysis suggesting Mr Farage’s party could have 21 MSPs, placing them above both the Scottish Conservatives and Labour.
But Mr Findlay claimed Reform MSPs “might even” back the SNP.
“Reform don’t get it,” he told Tory supporters.
“Anyone who would let the SNP into office cannot claim to be a pro-UK party.
“That’s why John Swinney isn’t scared of Nigel Farage. He is thrilled by him.”
Speaking about Reform UK, the Tory continued: “It’s John Swinney’s dirty little secret:
“Publicly he pretends to despise them. Privately he adores them.
“If John Swinney spent as much time reforming public services as talking up Reform, Scotland might get somewhere.”
However he refused to say if he would stay on as Scottish Tory leader if Reform ended up with more seats than his party.
“I’m not getting in speculation into what might or might not happen in 2026,” Mr Findlay told journalists.
“Let’s see what happens with the results.”
But in his speech, he insisted: “The 2026 election result is not set in stone.
“My party is used to being written off by pollsters and pundits – and then proving them wrong.”
The Tory also used his speech to demand that MSPs must not “squander the next 365 days” ahead of that Holyrood vote on May 7 2026
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Here Mr Findlay argued that there is “surely a majority at Holyrood willing to deliver tangible progress for mainstream Scotland”, as he called for action to improve public services and reduce bills for both families and businesses.
Mr Findlay said: “When people phone a GP, they need to be able to get an appointment. Schools need to be safe places of learning.
“I call on MSPs to agree that those priorities deserve our collective attention.”
However, he claimed the First Minister “has a shameful record of wasting taxpayers’ money”, adding that the policy programme Mr Swinney announced on Tuesday for the next 12 months “promises to waste more cash on his obsession with breaking up our country”.
Responding to the inclusion of a “taxpayer-funded report to build an economic case for independence” in this, Mr Findlay told the First Minister: “Spoiler alert John, there isn’t one.”
Such a report would be “another waste of cash that will benefit nobody”, he added.