Swinney says the contrast between the recent approach on this issue in Westminster and the SNP proves that Scotland and England in particular “are two countries going in completely different directions”. But other welfare reforms the UK Labour government plans will make it go up. Meanwhile, the UK’s Labour government, under political pressure from Nigel Farage’s Reform UK, is cracking down heavily on migration. With Reform UK now splintering support among Swinney’s unionist opponents in Scotland, he claims an SNP overall majority is possible. Even if Farage offered a Scottish independence referendum as the reward?

Source: The Irish Times November 25, 2025 08:04 UTC