Veteran SNP MP Pete Wishart casts doubt over party's independence plans, as Humza Yousaf marks 100 days as First Minister

Pete Wishart says the SNP’s independence plans will not get a “positive response” from the UK Government

Pete Wishart, SNP MP for Perth and North Perthshire. Image: Press Association.

Veteran SNP MP Pete Wishart has cast doubt on the chances of Humza Yousaf’s independence strategy, just days before the First Minister marks 100 days in office.

Mr Wishart, who is the longest-serving SNP MP, says Westminster leaders would “probably not” respect the Scottish Government’s proposals to reboot independence negotiations if the SNP wins the next general election in Scotland.

This comes after Mr Yousaf set out his desired plan to secure Scottish independence at a special SNP conference in Dundee two weekends ago.

First Minister Humza Yousaf. Image: Press Association.

At the conference he said a second independence referendum would always be the preferred option, but added the party will contest the next general election as a “vote for the SNP is a vote for independence”.

The latest polling suggests the SNP is on track to win the most Scottish seats at the next general election, which is expected to take place next year - although this is only marginally ahead of how many seats Scottish Labour are projected to win.

In an interview with Holyrood magazine Mr Wishart, who has been an MP since 2001, said he is supportive of using “every election as a referendum”, but admits this will not get a “positive response” from the UK Government.

The Perth and North Perthshire MP said: “We would need 50 per cent plus one of all that vote. Would the UK accept it? Probably not.

Scottish Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater with former first minister Nicola Sturgeon after signing the Bute House Agreement. Image: Lisa Ferguson.

“But we are not responsible for how the UK responds to these situations and what we will have done is demonstrate to the UK and the world that Scotland has decided to be an independent nation and whether that elicits some sort of positive response from the UK, I don’t know, but they might actually go, ‘oh, alright, you’ve done it’, and will move things forward.”

He added there is a “chance” Scotland could be independent in the next five years, but said the “easy route” has been “all but closed down”.

Mr Wishart’s comments come just before Mr Yousaf marks his first 100 days as First Minister.

He will reach the milestone on Friday, 7 July.

Speaking ahead of this, Mr Yousaf said leading the country he loves is “the greatest honour of my life”.

He said: “In my first 100 days leading the Scottish Government we have made real progress for the people of Scotland on our three defining missions - equality, opportunity and community.

“Our efforts are delivering now but are also laying the groundwork for the future.

“While progress in the short-term is encouraging, making good on these priorities will require long-term ambition matched with long-term action.”

In a statement reflecting on his premiership, Mr Yousaf reiterated his commitment to campaigning for Scotland to become independent.

He said: “Independence for me is not an abstract concept.

“It is the means by which we take our own future into our own hands.

“There is a much better alternative to Westminster control, and that alternative is to take decisions for ourselves as an independent nation.

“That is why I published our latest paper in the ‘building a new Scotland’ series which sets out the opportunity we have to embed democracy, rights and equality at the heart of a written constitution for an independent Scotland.

“This is only the beginning, and I am determined that my government will continue to deliver for all the people of Scotland.”

It has not been an easy start in the top job for Mr Yousaf - not least because of the ongoing police investigation into SNP finances.

This investigation has seen his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon, as well as the party’s former chief executive Peter Murrell and former treasurer Colin Beattie, arrested by police.

All three were released without charge the same day as their arrest.

Another thorn in the side for the First Minister has been the Bute House Agreement, the power-sharing deal between the SNP and the Scottish Greens.

Some of the key Green policies included in this agreement have been scrapped, blocked or postponed and seen the government come under fierce criticism from opposition parties and from their own backbenches.

Plans to make it easier for trans people to legally change their gender were blocked by the UK Government, despite a majority of MSPs voting for the proposals.

Proposals to create a deposit return scheme in Scotland have been postponed over the UK Government’s ruling to not allow the scheme to include glass.

This lead to the Scottish Conservatives calling for a vote of no confidence in Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater, who is the Scottish Greens’ co-leader and the minister in charge of the scheme.

In fact former Scottish Conservative leader Annabel Goldie told Holyrood magazine intergovernmental relations between Scotland and the UK are so challenging right now because of the Scottish Government's desire for independence.

And just last week Net Zero Secretary Màiri McAllan announced she was scrapping proposals to designate 10 per cent of Scotland’s seas as highly-protected marine areas (HPMAs).

Fishing and renewable energy schemes would be banned within HPMAs, and there would be restrictions on watersports as well.

Despite this setback one Green MSP says she is confident in the future of the Bute House Agreement with the SNP.

Speaking on The Sunday Show, Ariane Burgess, Green MSP for the Highlands and Islands, said: “The agreement is totally in tact.

“We are constantly in conversation with our colleagues in the SNP and I am confident that the marine protections we are both committed to bringing in will come forward.

“What we are doing is taking the conversation to the communities and designing something together to ensure we have long-term fishing.”