Is the truth about the ignorance of key SNP figures being exposed? Or is the party’s ‘inner circle’ even smaller than first thought? It certainly appears to have been the norm for senior figures to only become aware of party dealings after the fact. First Minister Humza Yousaf has said he didn’t know about the purchase of a £110,000 motorhome until after he became SNP leader. Former treasurer Colin Beattie initially said he didn’t know about the buy, despite his name appearing on the SNP’s 2021 balance sheet (though he has, this evening, clarified that he ‘became aware of the transaction via the 2021 annual accounts’ – still indicating that over a year went by before he found out). Now Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has revealed the first he learned of the campervan was ‘when it was printed on the front of a newspaper’.
Now Westminster leader Stephen Flynn has revealed the first he learned of the campervan was ‘when it was printed on the front of a newspaper’.
‘It is quite clear we can and must do better,’ Flynn said today, at the Institute for Government. When asked about whether there was a culture of information being withheld from key figures within the party, he pointed to the governance review that has been ordered by Yousaf’s government. Its purpose is to ‘ensure that all those senior officials, be they elected to the National Executive Committee or in the headquarters, are fully aware of the situation in front of them’, he said. ‘Has that been the case up until now? I’m not entirely sure.’
And questions about the SNP auditor status aren’t going away either. Flynn made headlines after telling the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme that the Westminster group was struggling to find new auditors. He also stated that it was only February when he was made aware of the party’s accountants, Johnstone Carmichael, quitting, two months after he had taken over from Ian Blackford as Westminster leader – and almost six months after they resigned.
The Westminster group needs to find new auditors by 31 May – or they’ll risk losing ‘short money’ of over £1 million, and potentially some of their staff too. Yet Blackford said earlier today that his successor told him at the start of the month that a new auditor was being appointed. So who’s not telling the whole truth? Asked if Blackford was lying, Flynn dodged the question this afternoon, replying firmly: ‘There’s a big difference between stating we are likely to secure an audit firm and having an audit firm.’ The apparent fallout between the pair has sparked rumours of an ‘SNP civil war’.
The dripping of information continues to destabilise Scotland’s ruling party, and the events of the last few weeks have been described today by former first minister Nicola Sturgeon as beyond her ‘worst nightmares’. It cannot be much more bearable for the party’s group south of the border, particularly as today’s revelations took much of the shine off of Flynn’s keynote speech at the IFG. Laying out his demands for energy powers to be devolved to Holyrood, Flynn turned to the need for ‘mutual respect’ between the UK and Scottish governments.
‘There has been no respect for Scotland and its parliament and its democratic decision-making in recent times in any way, shape or form,’ he said. ‘If there is the opportunity for a reset in relations, then good – but that requires goodwill on the part of the Westminster government.’
It wasn’t solely the current Conservative government that Flynn was addressing, but the Labour party too. ‘When we’re talking about the damage caused by Brexit,’ he said, ‘and the fact that Scotland wants to take a different route, there needs to be some respect and understanding in relation to that. That’s not just true of Rishi Sunak, it’s also true of Keir Starmer as well. We need to see movement from both the Westminster parties in that we are willing and able to operate as good-faith actors.’
‘I think the challenge now is for the Labour party to start listening to people in Scotland,’ he said, urging Starmer’s party ‘to change its tack in relation to single market access’ and ‘to really empower the Scottish parliament when it comes to the devolution of powers’.
And on the Union? Flynn is keen to see current levels of support for independence grow, agreeing that it was ‘important’ that the conference to discuss Sturgeon’s de facto referendum plan ‘didn’t happen’. Echoing what both Yousaf and Kate Forbes said throughout the SNP leadership contest, Flynn advocated for the need to see consistent majority support in the opinion polls for independence. When asked what kind of figures he would want to see, he avoided exact numbers, instead saying: ‘I think a sustained majority over a sustained period of time is the best way to frame it.’
In the current climate the SNP may be better to focus on retaining support for their own party, never mind independence. Flynn appeared relaxed this afternoon, but with recent polls showing public support for the SNP has slumped – and the SNP a mere eight points ahead of Labour – nationalists can only hope that there are few uncomfortable revelations left to come out.
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