Scottish First Minister John Swinney has suffered a significant political setback after veteran SNP politician Fergus Ewing announced he is leaving the party and will run as an independent in the next Holyrood election.
Ewing, 67, who has represented the Inverness and Nairn constituency since the Scottish Parliament was re-established in 1999, declared on Friday that he could no longer support the party he has belonged to for over 50 years. His resignation comes amid growing dissent within the SNP over the party’s direction under Mr Swinney’s leadership.
In a statement, Ewing accused the SNP of having “deserted many of the people whose causes we used to champion” and warned that the party had lost its moral and political compass. His departure follows the SNP’s humiliating defeat in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election, where Scottish Labour seized the seat and Reform UK secured third place. The result has reportedly intensified internal pressure on Swinney, with talk of a potential leadership challenge at the SNP’s conference in October.
Opposition figures quickly seized on Ewing’s resignation. Edward Mountain, Conservative MSP for the Highlands and Islands, said: “It speaks volumes about John Swinney and the SNP’s appalling failures in government that even nationalist royalty is prepared to twist the knife in this way.”
Ewing, a longstanding critic of the party’s stance on gender recognition reform, net zero policies, and schemes such as the deposit return initiative and marine protected areas, said his decision was motivated by a desire to put his constituents and Scotland first. “I love the people of Inverness and Nairn, and the people of Scotland, more than I love my party,” he said.
“Holyrood is more fractious and tribal than ever. Too much power rests unchecked in the hands of party leaders, who favour loyalists over those willing to stand up for their communities.”
He further accused the SNP of losing its way and said that devolution was “letting Scotland’s people down.”
Ewing’s departure is not only symbolic, but deeply personal for the SNP. He is the son of the late Winnie Ewing, whose landmark 1967 by-election win in Hamilton marked the SNP’s entry into mainstream Scottish politics. His sister, Annabelle Ewing, remains an SNP MSP for Cowdenbeath.
Having held ministerial roles under both Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, Ewing hinted as far back as March that he might run as an independent. At the time, John Swinney whk had only just become First Minister praised him as a faithful servant of his constituents and a valued contributor to Scottish politics.
In his parting remarks, Ewing reflected on his family’s political legacy and the unfulfilled promise of devolution:
“When my mother reconvened our Parliament in 1999, people held high expectations. Holyrood has come of age,it’s time for it to grow up.”
Ewing’s exit underscores growing unrest within the SNP ranks and raises the prospect of further fractures ahead of a crucial general election and the next Holyrood vote.
