At the annual conference of the Scottish National Party (SNP) in Aberdeen, Scotland’s First Minister and party leader John Swinney stated that the campaign for a second independence referendum “has already begun.” He announced a nationwide initiative called Choose Scotland, which he described as “the most sophisticated/perfect campaign in the history” of the party.
According to Swinney, the campaign’s goal is to convince voters who do not yet support leaving the United Kingdom of the benefits of independence and to build public consensus. The initiative is backed by a “six-figure war chest” — amounting to hundreds of thousands of pounds sterling. The campaign includes a survey of nearly 1.5 million residents of Scotland, large-scale online advertising, and other activities; it starts this weekend and will run until Christmas.
Swinney stressed that “the stars are aligning” in favor of independence supporters: the SNP confidently won the Scottish Parliament elections in May 2026, the pro-independence majority in Holyrood is the largest in history, and polls (including Survation) show independence leading (by some estimates around 54% to 46% among decided voters). He declared that Scotland is a nation, not a region or a city like Manchester, and that “our independence is very close.”
Speaking emotionally, Swinney noted that he wants to achieve independence in part for the sake of his son Matthew, to create a “better” country for him. He also mentioned coordination with nationalists in Wales and Northern Ireland and stated that opponents may not admit it, but the referendum campaign is already underway.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham has previously ruled out a second referendum. It should be recalled that the Scottish Parliament cannot independently organize an independence referendum without London’s consent (through a so-called Section 30 order). The first referendum in 2014 ended with victory for those in favor of remaining in the United Kingdom (55% to 45%).
The Choose Scotland campaign is positioned as the largest since the 2014 referendum and is aimed at the “hearts and minds” of voters who have not yet been convinced. Opponents of the SNP have already described Swinney’s speech as “thin” and repeating old rhetoric.
