John Swinney wants to ‘Farage-proof’ Holyrood and will work with rival parties to ‘lock out’ Reform

The First Minister says he will work with opposition parties to keep Nigel Farage’s Reform UK “locked out” of power at Holyrood.

First Minister John Swinney has vowed to work with rival parties to keep Nigel Farage’s Reform UK “locked out” of power after the SNP secured a historic fifth term at Holyrood.

The Nationalists will remain in government after winning 58 seats in Thursday’s Scottish election, with Swinney hailing the result as an “emphatic” victory despite the party losing six seats compared to 2021.

But the final results also delivered a dramatic political shake-up, with Reform UK and Labour tied on 17 seats each in the race to become the main opposition party at Holyrood.

The Conservatives slumped to just 12 seats after losing 19 MSPs, while the Liberal Democrats climbed to 10 seats, and the Scottish Greens celebrated a record-breaking result of 15 seats.

Speaking at a press conference in Edinburgh, Swinney said the arrival of Reform MSPs in the Scottish Parliament would leave many Scots feeling “very unsettled”.

He said: “Nigel Farage’s Reform Party have won seats in the Scottish Parliament.

“While I obviously recognise that some people in Scotland support Reform, there is no doubt that many of our fellow Scots will today be feeling very unsettled by the prospect of a party taking seats in the Scottish Parliament which holds such hostility to minority groups in our country.”

The SNP leader said he would now open discussions with opposition parties to ensure Reform has no role in government.

He added: “My immediate commitment, as I promised during the campaign, is to ensure that Nigel Farage and Reform are locked out of governance in Scotland.

“I will be engaging in talks with other opposition parties in the coming days to ensure that this happens and that there can be a stable and inclusive approach to governance.”

Swinney also hinted at a renewed push for Scottish independence, arguing Scotland must be “Farage-proofed” against the prospect of Reform taking power at Westminster.

He said: “There are now more pro-independence MSPs than at any time in the history of the Scottish Parliament. Nigel Farage is now galloping towards Downing Street and the prospect of a Reform-led government is more likely than not.”

The First Minister warned the UK could soon face “a Prime Minister who is openly hostile to minority groups, who has called for the privatisation of the NHS and the abolition of the Scottish Parliament”.

He added: “It is vital that we unite in Scotland to ensure our parliament is fully Farage-proofed. That means having the power before 2029 to decide our own constitutional future without Farage being able to block us.”

While he accepted the SNP had not won an overall majority in Holyrood in the election, Swinney said this “does not change the underlying fact that despite all the attempts to stop us for the fourth election in a row there is a pro-independence mandate in the new Scottish Parliament”.

Swinney said he would outline more detail on the SNP’s plans for independence “in the coming days and weeks”.

Turnout across Scotland remained low, with only one constituency — Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill — recording an increase in voters compared with the previous Holyrood election.

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