Humza Yousaf makes direct appeal to pro-indy voters, saying ‘if you believe in Scottish independence, you must vote SNP’

The First Minister appealed to his party’s core vote as he launched its general election campaign

Humza Yousaf has made a direct appeal to pro-independence voters to back the SNP at the coming general election, as polls show support slipping away from his party.

Launching the SNP’s election campaign at the Oran Mor in Glasgow, the First Minister said those who believed in separation “must vote" for his party.

He said UK Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer “will use every single vote for Labour in Scotland as a vote against independence”.

SNP Leader Humza Yousaf launches the party's general election campaign. Picture: John Devlin

Mr Yousaf added: “He will argue that every vote for Labour is a vote of confidence in Westminster control. So the message is very simple – if you believe that decisions about Scotland should be taken in Scotland, if you believe in independence, then you must vote for the SNP. If you want to see an independent Scotland, you have to get out, you have to vote.”

Recent polls have shown a drop in support for the SNP in Scotland while backing for Labour has grown. However, support for independence has remained stable, suggesting a loosening of the link between pro-independence sentiment and backing for the SNP.

Labour is targeting as many as two dozen seats north of the border, with the party confident of making gains across the central belt.

Addressing party figures in Glasgow, Mr Yousaf said it is “very clear now” that Sir Keir will be the next prime minister. However, he said the only certainty of a Labour government is that it will be followed by a Tory one.

SNP Leader Humza Yousaf alongside SNP Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn, SNP candidates and party activists in Glasgow. Picture: John Devlin

“Keir Starmer doesn’t need Scotland to win the election,” Mr Yousaf said.

“Scotland needs SNP MPs to make sure that we are not ignored and that Scotland’s voice is heard.”

He said the UK was heading down the wrong path, with an unhealthy “cosy consensus” among the Westminster parties.

Mr Yousaf went on to vow his MPs would seek to “work constructively with a Labour government to introduce measures for a fairer country”. But he also promised they would look to prevent a future Labour government from “backsliding on green investment” and seek to protect the NHS from “creeping privatisation at Westminster”.

Humza Yousaf. Picture: Steve Welsh/PA Wire

Earlier, Mr Yousaf admitted the independence cause will move “backwards” if the SNP loses seats at the election, but insisted that will not stop the debate.

Addressing comments made by his own senior MP Tommy Sheppard, who said independence would be hindered if the party fails to retain the majority of seats in Scotland, Mr Yousaf said the SNP will push for independence “regardless of what the election results are”.

He told the BBC: “Tommy Sheppard is not wrong in saying, of course, that if the message in Scotland is that Scotland votes for Labour MPs, and if that is the message that Keir Starmer sees, then of course that will take our independence backwards.”

Asked directly if the debate on independence will stop if the party fails to win the most seats, Mr Yousaf said: “No. The SNP will never stop campaigning for independence. It hasn’t stopped campaigning in its almost 90 years of existence, and it will continue to campaign for independence regardless of what the election results are, regardless of how many seats we have in any Parliament.”

His party is looking to again win a majority of seats in Scotland, with the aim of giving “democratic effect to Scotland becoming an independent country”.

Elsewhere, Mr Yousaf said the SNP’s power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens remains a “pretty good set of circumstances”, even if his party loses seats at the looming general election.

Signalling the Bute House Agreement is likely to continue in such an event, he stressed the deal gives pro-independence parties a majority at Holyrood.

He said: “The Greens are our partners in Government. They allow us to have a pro-independence majority in the Scottish Parliament. A pro-independence majority for a pro-independence party is a pretty good set of circumstances.”

While the general election will not change the party make-up at the Scottish Parliament, some SNP rebels have called for the end of the Bute House Agreement, blaming it for unpopular policies.

SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn was also at the campaign launch in Glasgow and said polls indicated the “big contest” in the election would be in the Central Belt.

He said: “I would say to all voters, whether they’re Greens or voters of any party, or no parties, that what they should do is vote for people based on their values and whether they’re going to stand up for them.

“We are unashamed about the fact that we will always put Scotland at the forefront of everything we do.”

Scottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said: “The Scottish public are sick and tired of the independence-obsessed SNP ignoring their real priorities, such as the economy and Scotland’s ailing public services, and trying to turn the next election into a de facto referendum on separation.

“Voters know that the only way to shift the focus on to the issues that matter to them – and shut the door on Humza Yousaf’s independence plan for good – is to unseat SNP MPs. As Humza Yousaf points out, in swathes of constituencies across the country, only the Scottish Conservatives can do that.”

Scottish Labour deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie said: “While the SNP is posturing about kicking the Tories out of Scotland, Labour is getting ready to kick them out of Government. The SNP is desperately scrambling for relevance at the next election, but voters face a straightforward choice – more chaos and decline with a Tory Government or a fresh start with a Labour one.”