Scottish National Party

Scottish National Party
Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba
AbbreviationSNP
LeaderJohn Swinney
Depute LeaderKeith Brown
Westminster LeaderStephen Flynn
PresidentMaureen Watt
Acting Chief ExecutiveCarol Beattie
Founded7 April 1934; 90 years ago (1934-04-07)
Merger of
HeadquartersGordon Lamb House
3 Jackson's Entry
Edinburgh
EH8 8PJ
Student wingSNP Students
Youth wingYoung Scots for Independence
LGBT wingOut for Independence
Membership (June 2024)Decrease 64,525[1]
Ideology
Political positionCentre-left[22]
European affiliationEuropean Free Alliance
Colours  Yellow
  Black
Anthem"Scots Wha Hae"[23][24]
House of Commons (Scottish seats)
9 / 57
Scottish Parliament[25]
62 / 129
Councillors in Scotland[26]
453 / 1,227
Election symbol
Website
snp.org

The Scottish National Party (SNP; Scottish Gaelic: Pàrtaidh Nàiseanta na h-Alba [ˈpʰaːrˠtʰi ˈn̪ˠaːʃən̪ˠt̪ə nə ˈhal̪ˠapə]) is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic party. The party holds 62 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament, and holds 9 out of the 57 Scottish seats in the House of Commons. It has 453 local councillors of the 1,227 available. The SNP supports and campaigns for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom and for Scotland's membership in the European Union,[13][27][28] with a platform based on progressive social policies and civic nationalism.[16][17] Founded in 1934 with the amalgamation of the National Party of Scotland and the Scottish Party, the party has had continuous parliamentary representation in Westminster since Winnie Ewing won the 1967 Hamilton by-election.[29]

With the establishment of the devolved Scottish Parliament in 1999, the SNP became the second-largest party, serving two terms as the opposition. The SNP gained power under Alex Salmond at the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, forming a minority government, before going on to win the 2011 Parliament election, after which it formed Holyrood's first majority government.[30] After Scotland voted against independence in the 2014 referendum, Salmond resigned and was succeeded by Nicola Sturgeon. The SNP achieved a record number of 56 seats in Westminster after the 2015 general election to become the third largest party[31] but in Holyrood it was reduced back to being a minority government at the 2016 election. In the 2021 election, the SNP gained one seat and entered a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens. In March 2023 Sturgeon resigned and was replaced by Humza Yousaf.

In April 2024, Yousaf collapsed the power-sharing deal with the Greens and resigned the following week due to the resulting fallout of the decision. The incumbent John Swinney was elected leader in May 2024. In the 2024 general election, the SNP lost 38 seats, reducing it to the second-largest party in Scotland and the fourth-largest party in the Westminster Parliament. The party does not have any members of the House of Lords on the principle that it opposes the upper house of Parliament and calls for it to be scrapped.[32] The SNP is a member of the European Free Alliance (EFA).

  1. ^ Meighan, Craig (22 August 2024). "SNP membership continues to plummet as 10,000 leave in a year". STV News. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  2. ^ Hassan, Gerry (2009), The Modern SNP: From Protest to Power, Edinburgh University Press, pp. 5, 9
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  12. ^ [8][9][10][11]
  13. ^ a b Schrijver, Frans (2006). Regionalism After Regionalisation: Spain, France and the United Kingdom. Amsterdam University Press. pp. 261–290. ISBN 978-90-5629-428-1. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 30 May 2006.
  14. ^ Bennie, Lynn (2017). "The Scottish National Party: Nationalism for the many". In Mazzoleni, Oscar; Mueller, Sean (eds.). Regionalist Parties in Western Europe: Dimensions of Success. University of Aberdeen. pp. 22–41. ISBN 978-1-317-06895-2. Archived from the original on 21 March 2021. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  15. ^ [13][14]
  16. ^ a b Mitchell, James; Bennie, Lynn; Johns, Rob (2012), The Scottish National Party: Transition to Power, Oxford University Press, pp. 107–116
  17. ^ a b Keating, Michael (2009), "Nationalist Movements in Comparative Perspective", The Modern SNP: From Protest to Power, Edinburgh University Press, pp. 214–217
  18. ^ [16][17]
  19. ^ "Anti-Brexit feeling expected to help SNP in European elections". The Guardian. 15 May 2019. Archived from the original on 15 May 2019. Retrieved 15 May 2019.
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  22. ^ [20][21]
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  32. ^ "House of Lords should be scrapped, says SNP". BBC News. 28 July 2015. Archived from the original on 11 May 2017. Retrieved 15 April 2017.