SNP MSP Stephen Gethins has urged political parties to “listen to the voters” on Scottish independence, following a record number of pro-independence MSPs being elected to the Scottish Parliament. With 73 out of 129 MSPs now backing independence—the highest ever—Gethins insisted that independence should be a priority for John Swinney’s newly-returned Scottish Government.
Record Pro-Independence Majority
The SNP secured 58 seats in Thursday’s election, while the Scottish Greens won 15, bringing the total pro-independence tally to 73. Although the SNP’s seat count dropped from 64 in 2021, the combined pro-independence bloc is the largest in Holyrood’s history. Gethins, who was re-elected as MSP for Dundee City East, highlighted that “the people have spoken” and called for reflection on the result.
He noted that the pro-independence majority is even bigger than in 2011, when then-Prime Minister David Cameron granted a referendum. Gethins also dismissed any suggestion that Green votes should be counted as unionist, stating: “If you start counting the Green Party as unionist votes, that is not what they said.”
Call for Cross-Party Dialogue
While acknowledging that Holyrood’s PR system requires cooperation between parties, Gethins stressed the importance of listening to the electorate. “More than anything else we need to listen to the electorate as well,” he said. He added that the SNP won the election “emphatically in every single part of Scotland” and that independence-supporting parties made “fantastic progress.”
Throughout the campaign, Swinney had sought an overall majority to press for another referendum. Gethins argued that the record pro-independence numbers should now drive the agenda.
Reform UK’s Impact on SNP Vote
Pollster Mark Diffley of the Diffley Partnership noted that the SNP benefited from the rise of Reform UK, which split the anti-SNP vote. “The SNP were fortunate in that the rise of Reform really did help the SNP,” he said. In many constituencies, the SNP won with low vote shares (31-32%) because Reform UK disrupted the opposition. Despite losing about a quarter of its voters since 2021, the SNP lost only six seats, remaining in power relatively unscathed.
Gethins, who also serves as MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry (triggering a by-election), reiterated that tackling the cost-of-living crisis would be a priority, but independence must also be a key focus for the new term.
