Keith Brown: SNP back convention with 'all' pro-independence parties

Extending what has been interpreted as an olive branch to other pro-independence parties such as Alba and the Scottish Greens, Keith Brown told the SNP conference that Yes support would need to be shown “through every democratic means available”.

Delivering a speech opening the afternoon session at the SNP conference main hall, Brown said: “In 2026, the people of Scotland must know that supporting the SNP, or those standing on our shared platform, means endorsing the right of our party to advocate for independence.

“It means backing a ‘convention’ of all democratically elected representatives – in the Scottish Parliament, at Westminster, in our councils – who support Scotland’s right to choose.

READ MORE: Police Scotland will not 'thwart' independence, Justice Secretary tells SNP activist

“This convention will unite with every willing element of civic Scotland, committed to the principle of self-determination.

“We need to demonstrate this support through every democratic means available, and we will activate the growing international backing for Scotland’s right to self-determination.

“Through this convention, we will seize every opportunity to advance the mandate provided by the majority of representatives elected to Scotland’s national parliament.

“Delegates, it has never been more important for us to persuade the majority of the people of Scotland of the merits of independence.

“At the election, it was clear that we did not convince enough people that independence was their immediate priority which would improve their lives.”

Brown was speaking after a closed session on Friday morning saw the SNP conduct a review of their General Election campaign, which saw the party drop 37 seats and return just nine MPs.

The party has now pivoted to focusing on the 2026 Holyrood election, as Brown’s speech made clear.

READ MORE: I spoke with former SNP MPs on the party's election review – here's how they felt

Responding, Alba general secretary Chris McEleny said it was “welcome to see that the SNP have finally embraced Alba Party’s strategy to make the next Holyrood election the ‘independence election’”.

McEleny went on: “Alba Party want to see the Holyrood election used to seek a mandate for independence.

“This twinned with the referendum proposed by Ash Regan on independence powers for the Scottish Parliament would give us an democratic double lock for independence.

“If the SNP are serious about their desire to work with Alba Party in response to the General Election result they could start this immediately by including Ash Regan and Alba Party’s priorities in their programme for government.”

A Scottish Green spokesperson said: "The Scottish Greens will work with progressive parties and campaigners who are genuinely committed to building a fairer greener, inclusive and independent Scotland.

"We have not been contacted by Keith Brown or anyone else from the SNP about this, and have not been sent a proposal."

You can read Keith Brown’s speech in full below here:

(Image: PA)

Friends, it is my pleasure to welcome everyone to our 90th annual SNP conference. A lot has happened since we last gathered in Aberdeen and I want to begin my remarks by paying tribute to Humza Yousaf. Throughout his leadership, Humza conducted himself with the utmost grace and integrity.

He demonstrated the values of inclusion and international solidarity that this party prides itself on.

In particular, his passionate advocacy for peace in Gaza during what were times of unimaginable torment for him and his family showed the mark of the man and demonstrated the true leadership which was so sadly lacking from the Westminster parties.

I know that Humza will continue to make an important contribution to the SNP and the cause of independence, and I want to thank him for all that he did for our party and our country.

Conference - we now have a new party Leader, John Swinney. A man of unparalleled experience in Scottish politics, who has stepped up a time when his party and his country needed him most.

A man who has dedicated his entire adult life to the cause we all hold so dear.

I can think of no one better to be leading the SNP into our next chapter. And as we face the challenge of a renewed onslaught of Westminster austerity, there is absolutely no one I would trust more to stand up for Scotland and to demonstrate the leadership we need to defend Scotland’s values.

This past year has tested our resolve and our commitment to our shared cause. We’ve faced significant challenges within our Party over the last 12 to 18 months. In July, we had to bid farewell to too many dedicated ambassadors of independence, along with the hardworking staff who supported them. I want to extend my deepest gratitude to each and every one of them. I look forward to continuing our journey towards independence together, in whatever capacity they choose.

Delegates, in the aftermath of the General Election, John Swinney has ensured the SNP has been thoughtfully discussing the challenges we face as a party.

He has facilitated discussions with our members, the length and breadth of Scotland.

We’ve spoken with activists, candidates and reached out to every single member in our party to listen and learn from everyone’s experiences, and to share ideas about how we should move forward together.

I am deeply grateful to everyone in the party who has engaged over this time, and I was delighted that so many of you contributed in the culmination of this discussion this morning.

And now, as a party, it is time for us to move forward – learning lessons from the past, but focussed, relentlessly, on Scotland’s future.

Because there has never been a more important time for the SNP to be standing up for Scotland. Our opponents would have you believe that the SNP and the cause of independence are over. They suggest it's time to pack up and go home. The same people who claimed that winning 56 or 48 out of 59 Westminster seats, or securing 63 or 64 seats in Holyrood, weren’t sufficient mandates, now tell us that a party not achieving a majority of seats must accept defeat and abandon hope. These are rules that seem to apply only to us—does anyone remember these voices calling for Labour to abandon their cause - if they still have one - when they won only 1 out of 59 seats, or for the Tories to give up when they won 0 seats in Scotland? It’s absurd.

Let’s not forget that the same flawed First Past the Post system that benefited us in 2015 has now given Labour their ‘jackpot,’ with 37 out of 56 seats despite only 35% of the vote, while the SNP secured nearly 30% of the vote but far fewer seats. The idea of independence has faced bigger setbacks in the past With our Party’s finances stabilized and growing, our membership still larger than all of the other party’s in Scotland combined, and with the greatest number of MSPs in our National Parliament. I predict we will regroup, redouble our efforts, and continue our mission to achieve Scotland’s independence - when we get knocked down, we get back up again.

Now, we face a Labour Party in power, claiming victory on a message of ‘change.’ Yet, tens of thousands of our pensioners are about to experience the harsh reality of that ‘change.’ Stripping away the Winter Fuel Allowance while allowing a 10% increase in the energy price cap condemns many to a winter of freezing misery. Labour’s promise of ‘change’ was a lie. Anas Sarwar told us to read his lips when he vowed no tax hikes, no more austerity — but we see now that those were empty words – and as we approach the 2026 election, I believe Mr Sarwar will come to regret his part in deceiving the Scottish people.

Labour under Keir Starmer is doubling down on failed Tory austerity. The black hole in their finances, predicted by economists, the IFS, John Swinney and even the dogs in the street has now been admitted to. Rather than the first year of a new government, we’re about to enter the 15th year of government defined by David Cameron and George Osborne.

This isn’t what people voted for. Those who hoped to vote out the Tories were deceived by Labour’s illusory ‘change.’ Is this the endless cycle of misery Scotland must endure? Alternating between Tory and Labour bouts of austerity, all while being isolated in a broken Brexit Britain? It doesn’t have to be this way. We can create a Scotland that rejoins the largest market in the world, the EU, where our pensioners live with dignity, not fear. A Scotland where our abundant natural resources—once squandered oil billions, soon to be our renewable energy wealth—fund strong public services and decent wages.

Conference, the SNP is showing the people of Scotland this every single day. In government are using all the powers we have to transform the lives of people in this country every single day.

The evidence is clear. Since the people of Scotland put their trust in us and entered government in 2007, we have provided: Free university tuition.

A massive expansion of free childcare Higher pay for nurses, teachers, and other key public sector workers And the Scottish Child Payment which is contributing to keeping around 100,000 children in Scotland out of poverty.

All of these policies improving lives here in Scotland are because of choices the SNP have made.

The SNP is using the limited powers of devolution to make life better for people and build a better Scotland but this ambition is constantly held back because we are suffering the consequences of not being independent.

So the question persists: ‘How do we achieve independence?’ Unionists ask this with a sneer, hoping that they have diverted Scotland into a constitutional dead-end. They ignore the election results and mandates they dislike, pretending that Scots are bound by an arbitrary ‘once in a generation’ rule that they themselves cannot define. Labour and Tory alike claim the right to decide when, or if, Scotland can vote on its future—spoiler alert: they’ve decided it can’t.

They claim to support the principle of ‘self-determination,’ but how can a country truly determine its own future when the right to vote on that future is denied by another?

This question also comes from those who passionately support independence and yearn for the opportunity to vote for it. How do we achieve it in the face of the UK’s undemocratic obstinacy?

Friends, this question strikes at the heart of our campaign for independence—and it will be, in my view, central to our success in the 2026 election. We must first acknowledge Westminster’s stance. They’ve been clear: neither Labour nor Tory will ‘allow’ the people of Scotland to choose their own future. Fine, let’s take them at their word. But let’s also take the decision out of their hands. What higher power exists than Westminster? What stands supreme over the UK Supreme Court? The answer is simple: the people of Scotland, the sovereign people of Scotland.

In 2026, the people of Scotland must know that supporting the SNP, or those standing on our shared platform, means endorsing the right of our Party to advocate for independence. It means backing a ‘Convention’ of all democratically elected representatives—in the Scottish Parliament, at Westminster, in our Councils—who support Scotland’s right to choose. This Convention will unite with every willing element of civic Scotland, committed to the principle of self-determination. We need to demonstrate this support through every democratic means available, and we will activate the growing international backing for Scotland’s right to self-determination. Through this Convention, we will seize every opportunity to advance the mandate provided by the majority of representatives elected to Scotland’s national parliament.

Delegates, it has never been more important for us to persuade the majority of the people of Scotland of the merits of independence. At the election, it was clear that we did not convince enough people that independence was their immediate priority which would improve their lives.

It’s up to us to change that.

When Keir Starmer says ‘things are going to get worse”, he says it like it’s inevitable. Conference, we know it is not. It is a choice. A choice the Tories made. And a choice Labour is also making.

Keir Starmer has said that the UK has gone to ruin – but delegates, Scotland does not have to live amongst the rubble.

There is an alternative future available to us.

That future is independence – and delegates, it is up to us in this room to get out there and make the case, together, to our fellow citizens.

The campaign for independence is not over. It has moved on to its next phase. Let’s commit today to doing exactly that.