A closed-door election review with SNP members was the “right thing to do”, Stephen Flynn has insisted as he pledges his party will be “fighting fit” for the Holyrood vote in 2026.

The SNP Westminster leader defended his party’s decision to open its party conference in Edinburgh with a two and a half hour internal session, stating it had led to “positive” discussions with delegates.

Party members dissected what went wrong at the July 4 general election after the SNP dropped 48 seats at the July 4 general election – with just nine MPs returned to Westminster.

In a discussion with journalists after the internal session, Mr Flynn also backed First Minister and party leader John Swinney as the “best man” to lead the SNP to victory in the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

 

He said: “John has taken the very serious and right decision to do that with the members at the earliest possible opportunity.”

The internal discussion, he said, allowed members to “reflect upon the fact that the trust we had with the Scottish people was eroded and that’s why, of course, we lost the election.”

But he said closed door talks would allow the SNP to win the Holyrood elections. He said: “It’s to make sure we are in a position where we’re fighting fit to deliver an SNP victory in 2026.

“The SNP voters who didn’t vote for the SNP but voted for a different party – voted for the Labour Party – it is those people that we firstly need to acknowledge and we need to win back their support and their trust.”

Membership figures published last week showed the SNP’s membership had fallen to 64,525 as of June this year, down from 74,889 in April 2023 – a drop of nearly 10,000.

Mr Flynn was quizzed on the decision to hold internal discussions when a publicised discussion could have won over former members.

John Swinney.John Swinney. (Image: Getty)

He told journalists: “We’ve got the largest mass membership political party in Scotland by soe distance. I’m very proud that’s the case.

“Members who were able to come here today were able to engage on an internal discussion about the challenges we faced in the run up to the election but also about what to do next and I think that is the right thing to do.”

Asked if members would be confident of winning at 2026 after the discussion, he said: “I do. It builds trust that you’re serious about getting things right.”

He added: “(John Swinney) did his absolute best during that general election. He had my fulsome support in going to be leader, and as leader that will continue.

“He is the best man to ensure the SNP win in 2026.”

But he confessed the party’s chances at Westminster were hampered by “self-inflicted wounds”.

He named the Scottish Government’s deposit return scheme row with the UK Government as one particular hurdle, adding he could “go chapter and verse” on the internal issues but would not comment specifically on whether the controversy around Michael Matheson’s iPad expenses, or the Operation Branchform investigation into former first minister Nicola Sturgeon, contributed to the election defeat.

A further internal discussion will be held during Saturday’s morning conference session with a governance and transparency review.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland on Friday prior to the conference, Mr Flynn also criticised potential cuts from the UK Government after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer warned of tough decisions on spending.

He said:  "We now have a Labour Government that are putting in place austerity, we've got to make difficult decisions, but while we are doing that we are going to focus on the public's priorities and hopefully make sure the public services they rely on are protected."

Speaking about the financial pressures facing the SNP Government at Holyrood, he made plain: "The seriousness of the situation we face is stark. We know that public finances in Scotland are stretched, potentially like never before in devolution.

"And we know that worse is coming down the road, because that is what the Labour Government has said to us."