Overview

• Delegates in Aberdeen overwhelmingly approved John Swinney’s strategy that only an outright SNP win of 65 or more Holyrood seats would provide an uncontested mandate for a new referendum.
• A rival amendment modeled on a de‑facto referendum, backed by more than 40 local branches, was rejected after a detailed floor debate.
• Swinney told members the party would “win big” next year, while depute leader Keith Brown said he had staked his premiership on the strategy before Swinney later said he would not resign if he won without a majority.
• UK Labour figures reiterated that the UK Government will not grant the legal power for a second vote, underscoring a constitutional roadblock even if the SNP hits its target.
• Recent polling cited by multiple outlets suggests the SNP is on course for roughly 59 seats under Holyrood’s proportional system, as a fragmented unionist vote and Reform UK’s rise reshape the electoral landscape.