Neverending Mr Swinney! SNP leader vows to stand AGAIN in 2031 as rival Sarwar reveals his family's 'pain' ahead of election
John Swinney has been accused of being desperate to cling onto power after saying he expects to stand for two more terms as SNP leader.
By MICHAEL BLACKLEY FOR THE SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL
Published: 19:30 GMT, 28 December 2025 | Updated: 19:30 GMT, 28 December 2025
John Swinney has been accused of being desperate to cling onto power after saying he expects to stand for two more terms as SNP leader.
In a newspaper interview the 61-year-old First Minister claimed he wants to be ‘a long-term political leader’.
He confirmed his intention to serve a full term as First Minister if re-elected in the upcoming Holyrood elections and also that he expects to be standing again in 2031.
But opponents said voters can force out Mr Swinney and his SNP government in May to move on from the party’s ‘independence obsession’.
Mr Swinney revealed his ambitions as Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar yesterday predicted a ‘toxic’ campaign next year which will see his family endure ‘personal pain’ due to racism.
When Mr Swinney stood to become leader following Humza Yousaf’s resignation in 2024, he insisted he would not be a ‘caretaker’ First Minister and would lead his party beyond the 2026 Holyrood elections with the ‘intention’ of serving a full term to 2031.
Now, in an interview with the Herald on Sunday, he has set his sights on an even longer stint in Bute House.
He said: ‘Well, obviously I’d go through the whole term. And my aspiration is to be a long-term political leader, so I would expect to be standing in 2031 as well.’
First Minister John Swinney has been accused of being desperate to cling onto power
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar has said he and his family will face a traumatic ordeal during the Holyrood election campaign
Conservative MSP Douglas Lumsden said: ‘John Swinney is desperate to cling onto power so he can achieve his lifelong dream of breaking up the United Kingdom.
‘That’s why we have to boot this rotten SNP government out at next May’s election so we can move on from their independence obsession and focus on the real issues – the NHS, schools and the economy.’
Meanwhile, the man Scottish Labour hope will replace the SNP leader in Bute House in May has claimed that he and his family will face a traumatic ordeal during the election campaign.
Mr Sarwar said he is acutely aware of how toxic the debate could become, having faced abuse and threats to his family as a youngster during his father’s political career.
Mohammad Sarwar, 75, was the first Muslim elected in the UK when he won his Glasgow Govan seat in 1997.