Senior SNP figures back John Swinney for party leadership

Former deputy first minister of Scotland John Swinney is one of the contenders to succeed Humza Yousaf as SNP leader. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA WireMeanwhile, a smaller number of the party’s parliamentarians have given their backing to former finance secretary Kate Forbes, who has not yet indicated if she will run.announced on Monday he would stand down as he faced two confidence votes in Holyrood but said he would stay on to allow a successor to be chosen.

In the hours following the first minister’s announcement, senior members of the party turned to Mr Swinney to offer stability. Posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, Mr Wishart said: “John Swinney would be an excellent unifier for our country and our party. We should all get behind him if he chooses to run.”

The most likely suitors for the SNP would be the Greens – given the pro-independence bent of both parties and the reticence of other parties with the required number of MSPs to work with the party. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said his party would press ahead with a motion of no confidence in the Scottish Government, saying he did not think the SNP is capable of “stable, competent government”.

Asked who he feared more between Ms Forbes and Mr Swinney, he continued: “To be honest I’ll take either of them. Because I think both of them are leading a broken, dysfunctional party.“He has been at the heart, in his own words, not just of this SNP government for the last 17 years but the heart of the SNP machine for the last 40 years.”

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