A SENIOR Scottish Government minister and ally of John Swinney has dismissed claims the Scottish independence movement has reached a stalemate.
Net Zero Secretary Mairi McAllan, who introduced Swinney at his campaign launch in Edinburgh on Thursday, said “independence is not dead for a generation”.
Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme on Friday, McAllan said: “We are at a situation in Scotland where half the population, give or take between polls, supports independence for our nation.”
But she said she recognises the party has “work to do” to understand the barriers facing those who are still not convinced by independence.
McAllan added that SNP members do not want to see a repeat of last year’s “bruising” leadership contest.
READ MORE: 'Uniting for independence': John Swinney's campaign slogan
It comes as former deputy first minister John Swinney looks set to run unopposed to replace Humza Yousaf as SNP leader and first minister after ex-Finance Secretary Kate Forbes ruled herself out of the contest.
Nominations will not close until Monday, but so far likely candidates to run against Swinney have ruled themselves out.
McAllan said Swinney – MSP for Perthshire North – is the “right man” to unite the party, following a tough week for the SNP at Holyrood after Yousaf abruptly ended the power-sharing Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens and saw the fallout force him to resign after 13 months as First Minister.
She added: “There is a sense within the party that the last contest was a particularly bruising one, and I think there is absolutely a sense among members and activists that many of us would not wish to see that repeated.
“I think what the biggest deciding factor has been so far is the stature of John Swinney as somebody who has come forward.
“He is well loved and respected within our party, and I think, most importantly actually, he commands the trust and confidence of the people of Scotland, which we in the SNP know is exactly what is needed right now.”
READ MORE: Allies of Kate Forbes praise her for 'selfless' act as she backs John Swinney
The 2023 party leadership contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon saw Yousaf, Forbes and Ash Regan fight for the top job.
The contest saw the candidates take aim at each other’s record in government and their views on social issues.
McAllan also rejected claims that Swinney is “yesterday’s man”. He previously led the SNP from 2000 to 2004, stepping down after a string of poor election results.
He served as Sturgeon’s deputy for more than eight years, while also holding some of the biggest cabinet positions of education and finance.
McAllan told the BBC: “John was very clear, the SNP has admittedly been having a difficult period. He is the right man for the moment to unite our party.”
Meanwhile, Scottish Green MSP Gillian Mackay told the programme her party is likely to work with the next first minister on an “issue by issue basis”.
She said a new Bute House Agreement is “very, very unlikely”, adding: “I think the likelihood is that we will be engaging on an issue by issue basis with whoever it is that is in the first minister’s seat in the coming weeks.”
Mackay said her party will want assurances that the Scottish Government will “recommit” to some of the policies which were in the works through the power-sharing deal, including rent controls and progressive climate policy.
She also said the Greens have “not taken any decision” on how the party will vote when the decision to select a new first minister is put to Holyrood.
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