Exclusive:Last Scottish independence policy damaged 'credibility' and SNP needs to get it right - Pete Wishart

The SNP needs to reassess how to achieve independence after an offer at the general election that was “slightly absurd”, Pete Wishart has claimed.

The party’s deputy leader in Westminster, Mr Wishart called for the SNP to take its time over the next proposal as he suggested an independence convention to harness ideas and bring people together.

Speaking exclusively to The Scotsman, the Perth and Kinross-shire MP also said Labour’s start in government had given him hope for the 2026 Holyrood election, and on the prospects of the SNP turning its fortunes around.

Pete Wishart MP, chair of the Scottish Affairs Committee. Image: House of Commons/Press Association.

Former first minister Humza Yousaf had demanded the powers to hold a referendum be transferred to Holyrood if the SNP won a “majority” of seats at this year’s general election, but was replaced by John Swinney ahead of what proved a disastrous day at the polls.

Mr Swinney has since said the SNP will focus on building "confidence in independence" over the next few years.

Asked where the party was on independence, Mr Wishart suggested the SNP had “rushed” its plan ahead of the general election.

He said: “I don't think we spent enough time looking ahead in July. I think we were in a situation where we had to adopt some sort of independence policy and I just think we just need that little bit more time and a bit more of an in-depth look of how we secure this.

“One thing that I think we should do - and I've been a major champion for this - is to get an independence convention together. Bring everybody who is involved in the movement together in a safe space forum, where ideas can be presented and looked at and, more importantly, it would give us an opportunity to engage positively with civil Scotland, to try and enlist the trade unions.

“I look at the model of what the Labour and Lib Dems set up in the Constitution Convention in the 1990s and I think that was a fantastic model and how we [should] approach it. If it means taking a bit of time to look at getting our independence policy absolutely correct, I think that’s alright.

“I think last time round we felt just that little bit rushed. The motion that we came up with, and the policy that we crafted, was an amalgam of all sorts of different things and it ended up looking slightly absurd and I don’t think it had any real credibility with independence supporters.

“This time around, we’ve got to get it absolutely right.”

Scottish independence supporters on the march. Picture: Andy Buchanan/AFP via Getty Images | AFP via Getty Images

Releasing his inside account of the 2014 referendum, Inside the Indyref, earlier this year, Mr Wishart explained the process had been cathartic. He said it reminded him of where the movement needed to be to win a referendum.

“Because I’ve been out promoting my book, I’ve been speaking to a lot of SNP associations and Yes groups,” Mr Wishart said. “And I think the most powerful lesson of 2014 is just how we were collegiate, how we worked together, and [about] the range of groups that were actually behind independence.

“For Scotland, the unity message is really quite important. I think people look back to 2014 and like to think that we'd be able to certainly create that type of organisation once again, one that has such reach into every part of Scotland. We’re all in it together.

When you look at the Yes movement right now, it’s a bit fractious, it’s a little bit argumentative, it’s uncertain of itself. In 2014, there was no doubt at all that this was a movement and on the march, and we came so close to achieving it.”

Mr Wishart, who chaired the Scottish affairs committee for ten years, also reflected on his time in the role - a job he expressed pride at winning selection for three times.

He said: “For the SNP given we’re never going to be in government or have ministers down here, it’s about the highest office that you could hold.

“I think we did a lot of good work. The way I approached it was to be some sort of space where we could take off our party hats to just participate in cross-party enquiry.

“Now there were tensions with [former Scottish Conservatives leader] Douglas [Ross]. He tried his best to steer the committee in particular directions, but he was always going to come up against the fact that I was the chair of the committee, and was able to basically have my way, with the consent of the other members.

“It made the sessions quite sparky and I know a lot of people liked to tune in to see the Pete and Douglas show.”

The SNP collapsed from holding 48 seats at Westminster to just nine at the general election in July.

Since the election, Mr Wishart has been notable for his strong criticism of the Labour party, with a severity that has surprised many in Sir Keir Starmer’s ranks.

Labelling the new government a “massive disappointment", Mr Wishart suggested the new Prime Minister’s start had given him hope the SNP could capitalise.

He said: “We had to listen to Labour candidates during the general election come to various hustings across the country and they were going to be the party of change, a different culture. They're going to do things differently in the House of Commons. All they have done is disappoint people who elected them.

“It has totally surprised me. All they had to be was not the Tories. They've gone as far as possible to antagonise particular groups across the United Kingdom and I think that's why we've seen such a decline in opinion polls related to the satisfaction levels. Regardless of all the resets that Labour are going to put in place, it's your early impressions that really chart the course of your parliamentary term, and the early impressions have been absolutely awful.”

The initial period in government for Labour has coincided with a resurgence in the polls for the SNP, with a recent Norstat poll predicting the party would hold Holyrood at the next election.

Mr Wishart said: “I think after the general election, there would be fairly few commentators who would have given us any sort of chance of being able to recover our position in time for the Scottish election. I think there's two things at the core of what's happened in the course of the past few weeks. First, of course, is the spectacular Labour collapse with the sense of disappointment of how they’ve governed, and secondly is the changes that John Swinney had mad.

“I think the more people see John as First Minister this time round, they’re more impressed and the more they like it. Even some of the structural changes that were constructed in the SNP, that’s starting to bear fruit, but we are a much more effective organisation now.

“We've set ourselves a few key priorities that I think chime with the Scottish people's aspirations. We are encouraged by the opinion polls, but we’ve got a long way to go and the best we can say now is we’re in the race for Scottish Parliament”.

Pete Wishart held his seat at the last election | Jane Barlow/PA Wire

Asked about a target for the Holyrood election, Mr Wishart urged his colleagues to go and do “something extraordinary”.

He said: “A few weeks ago even, it [the target] was just not to get gubbed, and now we're in a position where people are talking about us winning the Holyrood elections. One poll even indicated that we might retain an independence majority. I think we’re a long way from that, but the key thing is being competitive, which we are now.

“We've got a real chance to do something that no other political party in Western Europe has ever done, in the last 20-30 years and that's to remain in government after 20 years. That's extraordinary.”

Discussing how to campaign from Westminster with reduced numbers, Mr Wishart insisted he had “done it before”.

He said: “When I was first elected we only had five members of Parliament and for most of my time, the numbers were below eight. It’s only been since 2015 that we had the bigger groups and that was great.

“Now we’re back down to nine. I know this sounds absurd, but I actually quite enjoy it. What it gives us is a nimbleness, a flexibility, and we’re able to make high impact interventions in the debate.

“Even though there’s only nine of us, I think we’re almost as effective as we were as a bigger group, because we’ve taken a lot of time to think about the points and ensure that we have our voice heard. We’ve done way beyond our numbers, in terms of making an impact in this particular Parliament.”