Keir Starmer Has Given Scottish Nationalism a Booster Shot
In 2024, the Scottish National Party suffered its worst election setback for decades at Labour’s hands. But the calamitous record of Keir Starmer’s government has given the party and its leader John Swinney the chance to recover its dominant position.
Two years ago, the nationalist movement in Scotland looked doomed. But with Keir Starmer’s Labour government in meltdown, the Scottish National Party is on course for its fifth consecutive victory in next month’s Scottish Parliament election. (Jeff J Mitchell / Getty Images)
Two years ago, the nationalist movement in Scotland looked doomed. Scottish National Party (SNP) leader Humza Yousaf was about to resign as Scotland’s first minister, having endured barely more than twelve torrid months in the post.
His predecessor Nicola Sturgeon and her husband Peter Murrell, the SNP’s former chief executive, faced investigation for financial fraud (Murrell was subsequently charged, Sturgeon was not). Meanwhile, Alex Salmond, Sturgeon’s mentor and the most influential nationalist politician of the past forty years, had dedicated his life to destroying the party he once led.
Scottish voters took note of the discord in nationalist ranks and responded accordingly. At the UK general election in May 2024, the SNP lost thirty-nine of its forty-eight Westminster seats, mostly to Labour, and saw its share of the vote slump by 15 points.
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