JOHN Swinney has revealed that despite his father being “fascinated” by what he does in politics he has never told him who he votes for.
In an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Nick Robinson for his Political Thinking show the First Minister revealed that he has no idea which party his father supports or if he wants Scottish independence.
Swinney also confirmed during the interview that he will be running for re-election in the 2026 Holyrood elections saying he is here for the “long haul”.
Talking about his father and politics, the leader of the SNP said: “He’s been absolutely steadfast throughout his life of basically saying to me ‘I'm not telling you how I'm voting’
READ MORE: Subscribe to The National for £10 to enjoy fantastic puzzles and perks
“We talk about politics – he's fascinated by what I'm doing – but it's still a secret. And no matter how much probing I give him he's just not for telling.”
When pressed about if he knew his father voted for the party he leads or if he is in favour of independence Swinney said: “No idea.”
During the show, Robinson also asked the First Minister if he still wanted to make space for the new generation of politicians within the party ahead of the next Scottish Parliament elections.
Swinney confirmed that he would be standing in the next Holyrood elections as he said: “I'm in here for the long haul.
“There'll be a time at some stage in the future when I step down. But it's not any time soon and it's certainly not before the 2026 Holyrood elections.”
Robinson also asked if the Scottish Government is unable to pass its Budget through Holyrood if there would be a snap election.
“It depends on the actions of other political parties,” Swinney said.
“We'll put forward a budget that will be sustainable.
“We’ll engage in a dialogue because we don't have a parliamentary majority. But that puts as much emphasis on other political parties and what they're prepared to support, because I don't think the public in Scotland want to go to any extra election than they’re scheduled to have.”
When asked if his answer was a particular message to the Scottish Greens Swinney said: “It's a message to everybody”.
READ MORE: Tory MSPs fume as John Swinney brings up new leader's Liz Truss support
He added: “There's no hiding place for any political party.
“If we don't have a budget in place on the 1st of April, hospitals can't get the budget, schools can't get the budgets, benefits can't be paid, all sorts of things like that. So all these things follow that will come from a budget that doesn't pass.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel