In April 2024, Yousaf collapsed the power-sharing deal with the Greens andresigned the following week due to the resulting fallout of the decision. The incumbentJohn Swinney was elected leader in May 2024. In the2024 general election, the SNP lost 38 seats, reducing it to the second-largest party in Scotland and the fourth-largest party in the Westminster Parliament. The party does not have any members of theHouse of Lords on the principle that itopposes the upper house of Parliament and calls for it to be scrapped.[28] The SNP is a member of theEuropean Free Alliance (EFA).
The party was divided on its approach to theSecond World War.Professor Douglas Young, who was SNP leader from 1942 to 1945, campaigned for the Scottish people to refuseconscription and his activities were popularly vilified as undermining theBritish war effort against theAxis powers. Young was imprisoned for refusing to be conscripted. The party suffered its first split during this period with John MacCormick leaving the party in 1942, owing to his failure to change the party's policy from supporting all-out independence toHome Rule at that year's conference in Glasgow. McCormick went on to form theScottish Covenant Association, a non-partisan political organisation campaigning for the establishment of a devolved Scottish Assembly.
However, wartime conditions also enabled the SNP's first parliamentary success at theMotherwell by-election in 1945, butRobert McIntyre MP lost the seat at thegeneral election three months later. The 1950s were characterised by similarly low levels of support, and this made it difficult for the party to advance. Indeed, in most general elections they were unable to put up more than a handful of candidates. The 1960s, however, offered more electoral successes, with candidates polling credibly atGlasgow Bridgeton in 1961,West Lothian in 1962 andGlasgow Pollok in 1967. This foreshadowedWinnie Ewing's surprise victory ina by-election at the previously safeLabour seat ofHamilton. This brought the SNP to national prominence, leading to the establishment of theKilbrandon Commission.
InOctober 1974 the SNP won 11 constituencies, a record that would stand untilNicola Sturgeon assumed the party's leadership.
Despite this breakthrough, the1970 general election was to prove a disappointment for the party as, despite an increase in vote share, Ewing failed to retain her seat in Hamilton. The party did receive some consolation with the capture of theWestern Isles, makingDonald Stewart the party's only MP. This was to be the case until the1973 by-election atGlasgow Govan where a hitherto safe Labour seat was claimed byMargo MacDonald.[31]
In 1976,James Callaghan's minority government made an agreement with the SNP andPlaid Cymru. In return for their support in the Commons, the government would respond to theKilbrandon commission and legislate to devolve powers from Westminster to Scotland and Wales.[34] The resultingScotland Act 1978 would create a Scottish assembly, subject to a referendum. Labour, the Liberals and the SNP campaigned for a "yes" vote inthe referendum on the Scotland Act and "yes" won a majority, but a threshold imposed by anti-devolution Labour MPGeorge Cunningham requiring 40% of the electorate to be in favour was not reached due to low turnout.[35] When the government decided not to implement the Act, the SNP's MPs withdrew their support and voted to supportMargaret Thatcher's motion of no confidence in Callaghan's government.[36] In the ensuinggeneral election, the party experienced a large drop in its support. Reduced to just 2 MPs, the successes of October 1974 were not to be surpassed until the2015 general election.[37]
The79 Group sought to define the party on theleft.
Following this defeat, a period of internal strife occurred within the party, culminating with the formation of the left-wing79 Group.[38] Traditionalists within the party, centred aroundWinnie Ewing, by this time anMEP, responded by establishing theCampaign for Nationalism in Scotland which sought to ensure that the primary objective of the SNP was campaigning for independence without a traditional left-right orientation, even though this would have undone the work of figures such asWilliam Wolfe, who developed a clearlysocial democratic policy platform throughout the 1970s.[citation needed]
These events ensured the success of a leadership motion at the party's annual conference of 1982, inAyr, despite the 79 Group being bolstered by the merger ofJim Sillars'Scottish Labour Party (SLP) although this influx of ex-SLP members further shifted the characteristics of the party leftwards. Despite this, traditionalist figureGordon Wilson remained party leader through the electoral disappointments of1983 and1987, where he lost his ownDundee East seat won 13 years prior.
Through this period, Sillars' influence in the party grew, developing a clear socio-economic platform includingIndependence in Europe, reversing the SNP's previous opposition to membership of thethen-EEC which had been unsuccessful in a1975 referendum. This position was enhanced further by Sillars reclaimingGlasgow Govan in aby-election in 1988.
In1994 the SNP gained control ofTayside, the only time the party controlled a regional council, albeit without a majority.
Alex Salmond had been elected MP forBanff and Buchan in 1987, after the re-admittance of 79 Group members, and was able to seize the party leadership after Wilson's resignation in1990 after a contest withMargaret Ewing. This was a surprise victory as Ewing had the backing of much of the party establishment, including Sillars and then-Party SecretaryJohn Swinney. The defection of Labour MPDick Douglas further evidenced the party's clear left-wing positioning, particularly regarding opposition to thepoll tax.[40] Despite this, Salmond's leadership was unable to avert a fourth successive general election disappointment in1992 with the party reduced back from 5 to 3 MPs.
By 1999, thefirst elections to the parliament were being held, although the party suffered a disappointing result, gaining just 35 MSPs in the face of Salmond's unpopular 'Kosovo Broadcast' which opposedNATO intervention in the country.[41]
In2007, the SNP emerged as the largest party in the Scottish Parliament with 47 of 129 seats, narrowly oustingScottish Labour with 46 seats andAlex Salmond becomingFirst Minister after ousting the Liberal Democrats inGordon. TheScottish Greens supported Salmond's election as First Minister, and his subsequent appointments of ministers, in return for early tabling of theclimate change bill and the SNP nominating a Green MSP to chair a parliamentary committee.[49] Despite this, Salmond's minority government tended to strike budget deals with theConservatives to stay in office.[50]
InMay 2011, the SNP won an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament with 69 seats.[52][53] This was followed by a reverse in the party's previous opposition toNATO membership at the party's annual conference in 2012[54] despite Salmond's refusal to apologise for the Kosovo broadcast on the occasion of theKosovo Declaration of Independence.[55]
This majority enabled the SNP government to hold areferendum on Scottish independence in 2014. The "No" vote prevailed in a close-fought campaign, prompting the resignation of First MinisterAlex Salmond. Forty-five percent of Scottish voters cast their ballots for independence, with the "Yes" side receiving less support than late polling predicted.[56] Exit polling by Lord Ashcroft suggested that many No voters thought independence too risky,[57] while others voted for the Union because of their emotional attachment to Britain.[58] Older voters, women and middle class voters voted no in margins above the national average.[58]
In2015, the SNP won 56 out of 59 seats and 50% of the popular vote.
The SNP rebounded from their loss at the independence referendum at the2015 general election eight months later, led by former Depute LeaderNicola Sturgeon. The party went from holding six seats in the House of Commons to 56, ending 51 years of dominance by the Scottish Labour Party. All but three of the fifty-nine constituencies in the country elected an SNP candidate in the party's most comprehensive electoral victory at any level.[59]
At the2016 Scottish election, the SNP lost a net total of six seats, losing its overall majority in the Scottish Parliament, but returning for a third consecutive term as a minority government despite gaining an additional 1.1% of the constituency vote, for the party's best-ever result, from the 2011 election however 2.3% of the regional list vote. On the constituency vote, the SNP gained a net 10 seats from Labour. The Conservatives and Liberal Democrats each gained two constituency seats from the SNP on 2011.
Nicola Sturgeon led the party and served as First Minister for nine years from November 2014 to March 2023.
This election was followed by the2016 European Union referendum, after which the SNP joined with theLiberal Democrats andGreens to call for continued UK membership of the EU. Despite a consequential increase in the Conservative Party vote at the2017 local elections[60] the SNP for the first time became the largest party in each of Scotland's four city councils:Aberdeen,Dundee,Edinburgh andGlasgow, where a Labour administration was ousted after 37 years.[61]
At the2017 general election, the SNP underperformed compared to polling expectations, losing 21 seats to bring their number of Commons seats down to 35 – however, this was still the party's second-best result ever at the time.[62][63][64] This was largely attributed by many, including former Deputy First Minister John Swinney,[65] to their stance on holding asecond Scottish independence referendum and saw a swing to the unionist parties, with seats being picked up by the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats and a reduction in their majorities in the other seats. High-profile losses included SNP Commons leaderAngus Robertson and former SNP leader and First MinisterAlex Salmond.
The SNP went on to achieve its best-everEuropean Parliament resultin the final election beforeBrexit, the party taking itsMEP total to three (or half ofScottish seats) and achieving a record vote share for the party. This was also the best performance of any party in the era of proportional elections to the European Parliament inScotland. This was suggested as being due to the party'seurophile sentiment during what amounted to a single-issue election.
Later that year, the SNP experienced a surge in support at the2019 general election, winning a 45.0% share of the vote and 48 seats, its second-best result ever. The party gained seven seats from the Conservatives and 6 from Labour. This victory was generally attributed to Sturgeon's cautious approach regarding holding a second independence referendum and a strong emphasis on retaining EU membership during the election campaign.[66][failed verification] The following January, the strengthenedConservative government ensured that the UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020.
At the2021 Scottish election, the SNP won 64 seats, one seat short of a majority, albeit achieving a record high number of votes, vote share and constituency seats, and leading to another minority government led by the SNP. Sturgeon emphasised after her party's victory that it would focus on controlling theCOVID-19 pandemic as well as pushing for a second referendum on independence.[67]
Although they won with a majority in 2021, a majority of MSPs elected had come from parties that supported Scottish independence; this prompted negotiations between the SNP and the Scottish Green Party to secure a deal that would see Green ministers appointed to government and theScottish Greens backing SNP policies, with hopes that this united front on independence would solidify the SNP's mandate for the second independence referendum. TheThird Sturgeon government was formed with Green support.[68]
In July 2021, the Scottish Police launched an investigation into possibly missing funds raised between 2017 and 2020 specifically for a second referendum. The investigation was given the code nameOperation Branchform.[69] In the2022 Scottish local elections, the SNP remained as the biggest party, winning a record number of councillors and securing majority control ofDundee.[70] On 15 February 2023, Sturgeon announced her intention to resign as leader and first minister.[71]
On 16 March 2023, it was revealed that the SNP's membership had fallen to 72,000, down from over 125,000 at the end of 2019. As a result of this, CEOPeter Murrell resigned on 18 March after criticism was levied at him over the way the figures were published.[72]
Humza Yousaf was announced as the next Leader of the Scottish National Party on 27 March 2023 after winning theleadership election. Yousaf defeated challengerKate Forbes in the final stage, with 52% of the vote to Forbes' 48%.[73][74][75] The leadership election was dominated by the strategy for asecond independence referendum and theGender Recognition Reform Bill, which has divided the party.[76][77] On 29 March 2023, Yousaf was appointed First Minister of Scotland. On 18 April, his government published its policy prospectus titled "Equality, opportunity, community: New leadership – A fresh start"[78]
On 23 August 2023, Murray Foote was appointed as the new Chief Executive of the SNP.[79] On 12 October 2023, MPLisa Cameroncrossed the floor to join the Scottish Conservatives, ahead of counting the votes on her selection contest within the SNP for the2024 United Kingdom general election. She became the first elected representative from the SNP to defect to a unionist party. Cameron claimed a "toxic and bullying" culture in the SNP led to her defection.[80][81]
On 15 October 2023, the SNP National Conference voted in favour of Yousaf's strategy on Scottish independence, including a number of amendments proposed from senior SNP representatives. This committed the SNP to launching a Scotland-wide independence campaign before the end of 2023.[82][83] Yousaf also made a number of policy announcements, including a freeze on Council Tax rates, additional funding for the NHS to reduce waiting lists as well as the issuing ofgovernment bonds to fund infrastructure projects.[84][85][86]
On 25 April 2024, it was announced that theBute House Agreement would come to an end[87] before a vote was to be held by the Scottish Greens on whether to continue the agreement.[88] Four days later, Yousaf announced that he would be resigning as Leader of the Scottish National Party and as First Minister of Scotland.[89]
In April 2023, two SNP officials were arrested and released without charge in connection with theinvestigation into Scottish National Party finances. Peter Murrell was arrested on 5 April[90] and Colin Beattie, the SNP treasurer, on 18 April.[91] Murrell is the husband of former party leader, Nicola Sturgeon. The day Murrell was arrested and interviewed,Police Scotland also searched a number of addresses, including the SNP's headquarters and Murrell's home in Glasgow.[92][93] Beattie resigned as SNP treasurer and was replaced by Stuart McDonald.[94]
Also in April, it was reported that the SNP's auditors, Johnston Carmichael, had resigned from their role around October 2022, and were yet to be replaced, three months before the party's accounts 2022 were due to be submitted to the Electoral Commission.[95] New auditors were appointed in May.[96] Filing the party accounts in June 2023, the new auditors highlighted that they had not been able to find original records for some cash and cheques.[97][98]
Murrell was re-arrested on 18 April 2024 and charged with embezzlement. He later resigned his membership of the SNP. ACrown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service spokesman confirmed that it received a report in relation to Murrell and that an investigation into two other individuals "a man aged 72 and a 53-year-old woman" were still ongoing.[99][100]
On 6 May 2024,John Swinney was confirmed as the new leader of the Scottish National Party in the2024 Scottish National Party leadership election.[101] He was unopposed in the race as on 2 May his main speculated challenger,Kate Forbes, announced she would not stand in the race and endorsed Swinney[102] and on 5 May, Graeme McCormick claimed that he secured enough member votes for a nomination but then dropped out the same evening following a conversation with Swinney, ultimately endorsing him.[103]
During the campaign for the2024 general election, the SNP was investigated by Holyrood authorities for allegedly misusing MSPs' expenses to fund their campaigning. An anonymous complaint was sent toAlison Johnstone in which an individual claimed that stamps bought with expenses were given to Westminster election candidates for mailing leaflets. The complaint included a WhatsApp screenshot showing MSP staff discussing the traceability of the stamps. Parliamentary rules state that stationery and postage provided by theScottish Parliament Corporate Body "must be used only for parliamentary duties and must not be used for any other purpose, including party political purposes". It was reported that John Swinney's office manager had told an SNP staff WhatsApp group chat that "stamp fairy is very useful when it comes to campaigns". An SNP spokesperson confirmed the investigation and emphasized compliance with the rules, while John Swinney stated that he had been "assured that no parliamentary stamps that have been provided by Parliament have been used to support election purposes", adding that he was "confident" that there had been no use of any public money to support the SNP general election campaign. This investigation occurred amid SNP's financial struggles, falling membership, and the police investigation into alleged embezzlement. Despite a £128,000 bequest boosting their campaign, SNP spending was minimal compared to other parties.[104][105]
The SNP ultimately won nine seats in the 2024 election, a loss of 39 seats on its 2019 result, reducing it to the second-largest party in Scotland, behindScottish Labour, and the fourth-largest party in Westminster. Swinney took full responsibility but said that he would not resign as leader. He said of the results, "There will have to be a lot of soul searching as a party as a consequence of these results that have come in tonight", and that the SNP has to be "better at governing on behalf of the people of Scotland", admitting the party was not "winning the argument" on Scottish independence.[106]
In November 2024, the SNP announced a plan to reduce permanent paid staff at its headquarters from twenty-six to sixteen, a reduction of more than a third, in order to "protect the long-term finances of the party" before the next Scottish Parliament election. The pressure on the SNP's finances was attributed to a reduction inShort Money they receive following the 2024 general election, along with an increased reliance on membership fees over substantial donations.[107]
The local Branches are the primary level of organisation in the SNP. All of the Branches within each Scottish Parliament constituency form a Constituency Association, which coordinates the work of the Branches within the constituency, coordinates the activities of the party in the constituency and acts as a point of liaison between an MSP or MP and the party. Constituency Associations are composed of delegates from all of the Branches within the constituency.
The annual National Conference is the supreme governing body of the SNP and is responsible for determining party policy and electing theNational Executive Committee. The National Conference is composed of:
delegates from every Branch and Constituency Association
the members of the National Executive Committee
every SNP MSP and MP
all SNP councillors
delegates from each of the SNP's Affiliated Organisations (Young Scots for Independence,SNP Students,SNP Trade Union Group, the Association of Nationalist Councillors, the Disabled Members Group, the SNP BAME Network, Scots Asians for Independence, and Out for Independence)
There are also regular meetings of the National Assembly, which provides a forum for detailed discussions of party policy by party members.
The SNP experienced a large surge in membership following the2014 Scottish independence referendum.[108] In 2013, the party's membership stood at just 20,000,[109] but that number had swelled to over 100,000 by 2015.[110] Party membership peaked in 2019 at around 125,000.[111] Annual accounts submitted by the party to theElectoral Commission showed the SNP to have over 119,000 members in 2021.[112] By the end of 2021, the party reported that this number was 103,884.[113] Membership then continued to fall: to 85,000 at the end of 2022, and to 72,186 in March 2023.[114] By the end of 2023, this had fallen to 69,325 and then to 64,525 by June 2024.[111]
The SNP advocate for Scotland to regain its independence and re–join theEuropean Union
The Scottish National Party did not have a clear ideological position until the 1970s, when it sought to explicitly present itself as a social democratic party in terms of party policy and publicity.[118][119] During the period from its foundation until the 1960s, the SNP was essentially a moderatecentrist party.[118] Debate within the party focused more on the SNP being distinct as an all-Scotland national movement, with it being neither of theleft nor theright, but constituting a new politics that sought to put Scotland first.[119][120]
The SNP was formed through the merger of the centre-leftNational Party of Scotland (NPS) and the centre-rightScottish Party.[119] The SNP's founders were united overself-determination in principle, though not its exact nature, or the best strategic means to achieve self-government. From the mid-1940s onwards, SNP policy wasradical andredistributionist concerning land and in favour of 'the diffusion of economic power', including thedecentralisation of industries such as coal to include the involvement of local authorities and regional planning bodies to control industrial structure and development.[118] Party policies supported the economic and social policy status quo of the post-warwelfare state.[118][121]
By the 1960s, the SNP was starting to become defined ideologically, with a social democratic tradition emerging as the party grew in urban, industrial Scotland, and its membership experienced an influx of social democrats from theLabour Party, thetrade unions and theCampaign for Nuclear Disarmament.[122][123] The emergence ofBilly Wolfe as a leading figure in the SNP also contributed to the leftwards shift. By this period, the Labour Party was also the dominant party in Scotland, in terms of electoral support and representation. Targeting Labour through emphasising left-of-centre policies and values was therefore electorally logical for the SNP, as well as tying in with the ideological preferences of many new party members.[123] In 1961, the SNP conference expressed the party's opposition to the siting of theUSPolaris submarine base at theHoly Loch. This policy was followed in 1963 by a motion opposed tonuclear weapons: a policy that has remained in place ever since.[124] The 1964 policy document,SNP & You, contained a clear centre-left policy platform, including commitments tofull employment, government intervention in fuel, power and transport, a state bank to guide economic development, encouragement ofcooperatives andcredit unions, extensive building ofcouncil houses (social housing) by central and local government, pensions adjusted to cost of living, aminimum wage and an improvednational health service.[118]
The 1960s also saw the beginnings of the SNP's efforts to establish an industrial organisation and mobilise amongst trade unionists in Scotland, with the establishment of the SNP Trade Union Group, and identifying the SNP with industrial campaigns, such as theUpper-Clyde Shipbuilders Work-in and the attempt of the workers at the ScottishDaily Express to run as a co-operative.[118] For the party manifestos for the two 1974 general elections, the SNP finally self-identified as a social democratic party, and proposed a range of social democratic policies.[125][126] There was also an unsuccessful proposal at the 1975 party conference to rename the party as theScottish National Party (Social Democrats).[127] In the UK-wide referendum on Britain's membership of the European Economic Community (EEC) in the same year as the aforementioned attempted name change, the SNP campaigned for Britain to leave the EEC.[128][129]
There were further ideological and internal struggles after 1979, with the79 Group attempting to move the SNP further to the left, away from being what could be described a "social-democratic" party, to an expressly "socialist" party. Members of the 79 Group – including future party leader andFirst MinisterAlex Salmond – were expelled from the party. This produced a response in the shape of theCampaign for Nationalism in Scotland from those who wanted the SNP to remain a "broad church", apart from arguments of left vs. right. The 1980s saw the SNP further define itself as a party of the political left, such as campaigning against the introduction of thepoll tax in Scotland in 1989; one year before the tax was imposed on the rest of the UK.[118]
Ideological tensions inside the SNP are further complicated by arguments between the so-calledSNP gradualists andSNP fundamentalists. In essence, gradualists seek to advance Scotland to independence through further devolution, in a "step-by-step" strategy. They tend to be in the moderate left grouping, though much of the79 Group was gradualist in approach. However, this 79 Group gradualism was as much a reaction against the fundamentalists of the day, many of whom believed the SNP should not take a clear left or right position.[118]
Following oil discovery in theNorth Sea of the coast of Scotland, the SNP used the campaign sloganIt's Scotland's oil
During the 1970s the SNP campaigned widely on the political sloganIt's Scotland's oil, where it was argued that the discovery of North Sea oil off the coast of Scotland, and the revenue that it created would not benefit Scotland to any significant degree while Scotland remained part of the United Kingdom.
TheSturgeon Government in 2017 adjusted income tax rates so that low earners would pay less and those earning more than £33,000 a year would pay more.[130] Previously the party had replaced the flat rateStamp Duty with theLBTT, which uses a graduated tax rate.[131] Whilst in government, the party was also responsible for the establishment ofRevenue Scotland to administer devolved taxation.
Having previously defined itself in opposition to thepoll tax[118] the SNP has also championed progressive taxation at a local level. Despite pledging to introduce alocal income tax[132] theSalmond Government found itself unable to replace thecouncil tax and the party has, particularly since the ending of the council tax freeze[133] under Nicola Sturgeon's leadership, committing to increasing the graduated nature of the tax.[134] Conversely, the party has also supported capping and reducingBusiness Rates in an attempt to support small businesses.[135]
It has been noted that the party contains a broader spectrum of opinion regarding economic policy than most political parties in the UK due to its status as "the only viable vehicle for Scottish independence",[136] with the party's parliamentary group at Westminster in 2016 including socialists such asTommy Sheppard andMhairi Black, capitalists such asStewart Hosie and former Conservative,Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh.[136][137]
In June 2000, the SNP supported the repeal ofsection 28, a series of laws across Britain that prohibited the "promotion of homosexuality" by local authorities.[139]
In government in July 2012, the SNP announced that they would legislate for civil and religious same-sex marriage in Scotland.[140] The bill was fast-tracked through theScottish Parliament,[141] and approved with 105 MSPs in favour in February 2014.[142]
UnderSturgeon's leadership, Scotland was twice in succession named the best country in Europe forLGBT+ legal equality.[143] The party is considered very supportive of gays, lesbians and bisexuals – something that historically was not the case, as stated above.[144][145]
The SNP legislated to improvegender self-identification with theGender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill. The policy was controversial within the SNP, with some of the party's social conservatives claiming the reforms could be open to abuse.[144][146] In 2020, the Scottish Government paused the legislation in order to find "maximum consensus" on the issue[144] and commentators described the issue as having divided the SNP like no other, with many dubbing the debate a "civil war".[147][148][149] In January 2021, a former trans officer in the SNP's LGBT wing, Teddy Hope, quit the party, describing it was one of the "core hubs of transphobia in Scotland".[150] Large numbers of LGBT activists followed suit and Sturgeon released a video message in which she said that transphobia is "not acceptable" and that she hoped they would one day rejoin the party.[151][152] In December 2022, theGender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill was passed by a majority of 86 to 39, with nine SNP members voting against the bill and 54 for.[153]
The SNP supportsmulticulturalism[157] with Scotland receiving thousands ofrefugees from theSyrian Civil War.[158] To this end it has been claimed that refugees in Scotland are better supported than those in England.[159] More generally, the SNP seeks to increase immigration to combat a declining population[160] and calling for a separate Scottish visa even within the UK.[161] However, data for 2022 shows that Scotland houses proportionally fewer asylum seekers relative to its population than England.[162]
Having opposed continued membership in the1975 referendum, the party has supported membership of theEuropean Union since the adoption of the Independence in Europe policy during the 1980s. Consequentially, the SNP supported remaining within the EU during the2016 referendum where every Scottish council area backed this position.[169] Consequently, the party opposedBrexit and sought afurther referendum on thewithdrawal agreement,[170] ultimately unsuccessfully. The SNP would like to see anindependent Scotland as a member of theEuropean Union andNATO[171] and has left open the prospect of an independent Scotland joining theeuro.[172]
The party have supported measures includingforeign aid which seek to facilitateinternational development[179] through various charitable organisations.[180] In recognition of Scotland's historic links to the country, these programmes are mostly focused inMalawi[181] in common with previous Scottish governments. With local authorities across the country, includingGlasgow City Council being involved in this partnership since before the SNP took office in2007.[182]
The SNP abolished parking charges at hospitals including theVictoria Hospital in Glasgow.
The SNP have pledged to uphold the public service nature ofNHS Scotland and are consequently opposed to any attempts at privatisation of the health service,[183] including any inclusion in a post-Brexit trade deal with the United States. The party has been fond of increasing provision under the NHS with the introduction of universalbaby boxes based on theFinnish scheme.[184] This supported child development alongside other commitments including the expansion of free childcare for children younger than school age and the introduction of universal free school meals in the first three years of school.[185]
Previously, SNP governments have abolished hospital parking charges[186] as well as prescription charges[187] in efforts to promote enhanced public health outcomes by increasing access to care and treatment. Furthermore, during Sturgeon's premiership, Scotland became the first country in the world to introducealcohol minimum unit pricing to counteralcohol problems.[188] Recently, the party has also committed to providing universal access tosanitary products[189] and the liberalisation ofdrugs policy[190] throughdevolution, in an effort to increase access to treatment and improvepublic health outcomes. Between 2014 and 2019 the party slashed the budget for drug and alcohol treatments by 6.3%[191] – a cut that has been linked with Scotland recording the highest number of drug deaths per head in Europe.[192]
The party aspires to promote universal access to education, with one of the first acts of theSalmond government being to abolishtuition fees[193] – although it has also introduced a cap on the number of Scots who can attend university and cut funding for further education colleges.[194][195] More recently, the party has turned its attention to widening access tohigher education[196] with Nicola Sturgeon stating that education is her number one priority.[197] At school level, the SNP had the OECD review theCurriculum for Excellence.[198] When the review found that the "visionary ideals" of Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) had not fully succeeded, they announced a series of educational reforms and the scrapping of the Scottish Qualifications Authority.[199] Furthermore, it has been claimed that a recent decline in Scotland's educational standards as illustrated by PISA studies is directly related to CfE's implementation in 2012.[200]
The foundations of the SNP are a belief thatScotland would be more prosperous by being governedindependently from theUnited Kingdom, although the party was defeated in the2014 referendum on this issue.[201] The party has since sought to hold asecond referendum at some point in the future, perhaps related to the outcome ofBrexit,[202] as the party sees areferendum as the only route to independence. In 2016 the party convened theSustainable Growth Commission to advise on the economy and currency of an independent Scotland. Although theSustainable Growth Commission's report, published in 2018, divides opinion it contains the party's official economic recommendations in the event of independence. The party isconstitutionalist and as such rejects holding such a referendumunilaterally or any course of actions that could lead to comparisons with cases such asCatalonia[203] with the party seeing independence as a process that should be undertaken through a consensual process alongside theUK Government. As part of this process towards independence, the party supports increaseddevolution to theScottish Parliament and theScottish Government, particularly in areas such aswelfare andimmigration.[204]
Official SNP policy is supportive of themonarchy. Many party members are republicans including former party leaderHumza Yousaf[205] but his predecessor,Nicola Sturgeon, believes it is a "model with many merits", although she has proposed reducing the funds spent on the royal family.[206][207] Separately, the SNP has always opposed the UK'sunelected upper house and would like to see both it and theHouse of Commons elected by a form ofproportional representation.[208] The party also supports the introduction of acodified constitution, either for an independent Scotland or the UK as a whole,[209] going as far as producing a proposed interim constitution for Scotland during the independence referendum campaign.[210]
There have always been divisions within the party on how to achieveScottish independence, with one wing described as 'fundamentalists' and the other 'gradualists'. The SNP leadership generally subscribes to the gradualist viewpoint, that being the idea that independence can be won by the accumulation by theScottish Parliament of powers that theUK Parliament currently has over time. Fundamentalism stands in opposition to the so-called gradualist point of view, which believes that the SNP should emphasise independence more widely to achieve it. The argument goes that if the SNP is unprepared to argue for its central policy then it is unlikely ever to persuade the public of its worthiness.[211]
Parts of this article (those related to local council leaders) need to beupdated. The reason given is: not reflective of the 2022 local election results. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(December 2022)
^Gallardo, Cristina (27 November 2019)."Scottish National Party's manifesto explained".Politico. London.Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved4 May 2020.The SNP wants Scotland to become an independent country and stay in the European Union.
^Mitchell, James; Bennie, Lynn; Johns, Rob (2012),The Scottish National Party: Transition to Power, Oxford University Press, pp. 107–116
^Keating, Michael (2009), "Nationalist Movements in Comparative Perspective",The Modern SNP: From Protest to Power, Edinburgh University Press, pp. 214–217
^Devenney, Andrew D. (2008). "Regional Resistance to European Integration: The Case of the Scottish National Party, 1961–1972".Historical Social Research / Historische Sozialforschung.33 (3 (125)):319–345.ISSN0172-6404.JSTOR20762312.
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