Swinney blames cost of living for election defeat – Daily Business

First Minster and SNP leader John Swinney today said concerns over energy prices and the general cost of living had contributed to his party’s by-election defeat as voters switched their support to Reform UK.

Giving a post-election briefing to journalists on the SNP’s failure to hold the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse seat, Mr Swinney said he “called it as I saw it” with the Labour vote way down and the Reform vote rising.

He said people were telling his campaign team on the doorsteps of their “anger and frustration with the Labour party because of things like the winter fuel payments and they were going to vote for Reform.

“So I had to set out a message to stop Reform as I don’t want the poisonous politics of Nigel Farage to be imported into the Scottish parliament.”

Asked by Daily Business what the voters told his campaign team about where the SNP was going wrong, he said: “People are angry about the standard of living and, in relation to my government, access to health services.”

He said independence could deal with some of these issues. “Why is the standard of living down? It’s down because of Brexit and that is an issue for independence,” he said.

“Energy costs: the Labour government promised to reduce energy costs by £300 and they have gone up by about £150. That’s a Westminster issue.”

Pressed on the fact that, despite these issues being the responsibility of Westminster, enough still voted Labour to enable the party to win the seat, rather than support the SNP’s agenda.

Mr Swinney said Labour’s vote was down [on 2021] and Reform had picked up support on the back of general anger over the cost of living.

On the absence of the independence issue in the campaign, he said: “Independence has to be relevant to people’s lives. It’s always been my view that’s how you win the argument.

“It is about making sure people see independence as a real and urgent priority that can make a difference in their lives.”

Polls have shown support for independence is above 50%, but Thursday’s result did not suggest it was a priority.

Pundits had agreed before the by-election that it would be a tight contest, but there was a general view that the SNP would win.

Mr Swinney contradicted that view, saying “people would have doubted after the really poor result we had in the UK general election that the SNP could be back in contention to win a seat like Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse. But we were in contention and only 600 votes adrift from winning it.

“The result told us we have made some progress, but not enough progress.”

Mr Swinney was asked about Mr Farage’s support for things like the oil and gas industry and his attacks on wasteful expenditure in the public sector which appeal to a lot of people.

“It will,” admitted Mr Swinney, who nonetheless insisted: “The politics of Farage have to be confronted because I think the politics of Farage are poisonous for our politics.”

Reform UK’s deputy leader Richard Tice said the party was “thrilled to bits” with how the party performed, and that it was a “remarkable result”. He said the other parties are “terrified” of Reform’s progress.