Alba’s Angus Brendan MacNeil has accused the SNP of misleading independence supporters and urged them to abandon what he calls a failing strategy for securing a new referendum.
The former MP for Na h‑Eileanan an Iar said the SNP leadership must be honest about the limits of its approach and accept that Westminster will not willingly grant another vote.
His comments follow recent statements from First Minister John Swinney and Cabinet Secretary Mairi McAllan, who have both argued that only an SNP win at the 2026 Holyrood election can deliver a referendum.
Mr MacNeil said those promises lack any guarantee from the UK Government.
“Earlier this week, SNP Leader John Swinney claimed that ‘only an SNP vote can deliver a referendum’ and now we have Cabinet Secretary Mairi McAllan saying ‘only a vote for the SNP in 2026 will make that possible’,” he said.
“It’s time we asked the obvious question: Does the SNP have any cast‑iron guarantee from Keir Starmer that he will grant a referendum, dependent on how many votes they receive?
“The answer, of course, is no and they know it.”
He described the SNP’s approach as “a desperate and deluded misreading of the political landscape” and compared it to what he called the party’s mishandling of the Hamilton by‑election.
“The facts are clear: Westminster will not willingly hand Scotland the keys to independence,” he said.
“The SNP leadership is misleading supporters by pretending otherwise.
“The SNP must stop pretending and start acting.”
Mr MacNeil called for the SNP to work with Alba and independence grassroots activists on an alternative route.
“Rather than continuing to chase shadows in Westminster, the SNP should be working with Alba and the grassroots of the SNP who want to change course,” he said.
“Scotland’s future will never be secured by asking permission from London, it must be taken into Scotland’s own hands.”
He urged pro‑independence parties to treat the 2026 Holyrood election as a direct mandate to begin negotiations, not a plea for another referendum.
“The way to give the new generation of young people in Scotland the say over their future is to make the 2026 Holyrood election a clear vote on independence, not a plea for another referendum, but a mandate to begin negotiations and assert the sovereign will of the Scottish people,” he said.
“The Alba Party stands ready with a plan to deliver independence, not in some distant future, but in the next two to five years.”
