John Swinney and Reform's other opponents must take Nigel Farage on in the battle of ideas

Talking shops and name-calling are unlikely to help Reform UK rivals counter party’s surge in popularity

John Swinney will this week mark his first anniversary of being sworn in as First Minister, having come to power following the resignation of Humza Yousaf in the wake of the collapse of the SNP’s power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens.

There is no doubt Mr Swinney has been a steadying influence on his party. He has reversed the decline that saw the SNP reduced to just nine MPs in July’s general election, and recent polls put his party comfortably in the lead ahead of next year’s Holyrood contest. Some critics have suggested he has been too safe and steady over the past 12 months, which might help explain why he is promising to deliver a “radical” programme for the coming year at Holyrood this week.

First Minister and SNP leader John Swinney and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage | PA

He said: “At the heart of the policy agenda will be a relentless focus on delivering for the people of Scotland, on their priorities, and providing hope that we can create a better Scotland from our programme.”

This sounds like a pitch that will prove popular with voters. Indeed, it sounds similar to the sort of pitch that proved very popular with Reform voters south of the Border last week.

In terms of policies themselves, however, Mr Swinney has been light on detail but at pains to suggest the SNP will be poles apart from Nigel Farage’s resurgent party.

Reform UK is now in charge of ten English local authorities and there are four more where it is the largest party. It has two new mayors - in Greater Lincolnshire, and Hull and East Yorkshire - and overturned a Labour majority of more than 14,000 to win the Runcorn and Helsby by-election.

Asked whether Mr Farage could be the next Prime Minister, Mr Swinney said: “I think it is a very real possibility that that could happen. It makes me very fearful of what lies ahead.”

The key to countering Reform in Scotland will not be talking shops of the sort Mr Swinney convened last month, or in branding the party’s supporters “far right” or “deplorables”. To prevent Mr Farage becoming Prime Minister, his opponents must take him on in the battle of ideas with policies that will resonate with voters.