John Swinney used his keynote address to the SNP conference in Aberdeen to reject the idea that Scotland should mirror Manchester, in a speech read as a direct reply to Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s first major Scotland address since moving into Downing Street.
A nation, not a city
Opening and closing his speech with appeals to Scottish nationhood, Swinney told delegates that the “stars are aligning” for supporters of independence. He pointed to the SNP’s election victory in May, which delivered a record number of pro-independence MSPs at Holyrood, even as the overall share of pro-independence votes slipped from about 50% in 2021 to roughly 41% in 2026. “Some think we should just be like Manchester. Well I’m afraid I disagree,” Swinney said. “Scotland is no city. We are no region. We are a nation. And soon we will be an independent nation.”
The first minister announced a six-figure “war chest” behind a new “Choose Scotland” campaign, promising a national day of action, digital and broadcast adverts, and an independence survey to be delivered to almost 1.5 million households. He cited a non-binding pact signed last month by the nationalist leaders of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland vowing that no Westminster government has the right to block a democratic vote.
Buses and social justice
Beyond constitutional politics, Swinney laid out a domestic programme centred on public ownership. He extended the £2 bus fare cap to north-east Scotland from April and committed to bringing Scotland’s bus network under public control by the end of the parliamentary term. “Cheaper bus travel is only one part of the story,” he said. “We need more buses and we need more frequent buses. It is good for commuters. And it’s good for the climate.”
He also pledged a £30 million fund for community groups to combat the rise of racism and a £1 million “respect fund” to help every school tackle misogyny, alongside legislation to make misogyny-based harassment a specific criminal offence.
Burnham’s offer of deeper devolution
Speaking in Motherwell the day before Swinney’s address, the prime minister called for moving “beyond the old politics of conflict” and offered to work with the SNP on deepening devolution. Burnham has previously stated that a second Scottish independence referendum remains “off limits” without a clear shift in public opinion, and recent polling suggests a narrow lead for the unionist position.
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Why it matters
Scotland’s independence question has moved back to the top of the UK political agenda under a Labour prime minister who, like his predecessor, refuses to legislate for a second vote. With Holyrood’s pro-independence bloc still holding a working majority, the pressure is on Westminster to offer meaningful devolution or face renewed constitutional tension within months of taking office.
What happens next
The SNP’s “Choose Scotland” campaign will roll out over the autumn, with the independence survey mailing beginning in November and the bus franchising programme moving forward in parallel. On the constitutional front, Burnham returns to Westminster this week with a formal response to Swinney’s challenge expected when parliament reconvenes from its October recess.
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