FIRST Minister John Swinney has said there will be no deals “under any circumstances” between his party and Reform UK, after Nigel Farage backed the SNP over Labour in next year's elections.
Swinney said his party stands against Farage’s “divisive politics” in a statement after the Reform leader said that he would rather see the SNP in power at Holyrood rather than Anas Sarwar’s Labour.
Farage told The Times that any Reform MSPs would not endorse Sarwar under any circumstances but did expect the SNP to have a “resurgence” in 2026.
The Reform leader's comments come after the latest polling figures show there would be a large pro-independence majority of 29 MSPs after next year's elections.
The survey, conducted by Find Out Now for The National, predicted that the SNP would win 35% of the constituency share and 25% on the regional vote, while Scottish Labour came second with 15% on both, and Reform would win 12% of the constituency share and 10% on the regional vote.
In a short statement posted to social media, Swinney made it clear that the SNP would not work with any Reform MSPs.
He wrote: “Just so everyone knows, there will never be any deals, under any circumstances, between the SNP and Nigel Farage.
“The SNP stand against his divisive politics.”
It has been reported that privately senior Scottish Tories have signalled that if there were a choice between Sarwar and Swinney, they would back Labour.
However, when asked if Sarwar needed Reform votes to become first minister, Farage told The Times: “I’m not that worried about the SNP."
He added: “Yes, they’re going to have a resurgence.
“Scotland is not going to leave the United Kingdom. It’s not going to happen in a month of Sundays.
“We’re not doing a deal with Labour. No: we’re just not going to do it.”
Farage’s comments contradict his deputy Richard Tice, who said last November that “anything is preferable to the SNP”.
SNP MP for Arbroath and Broughty Ferry, Stephen Gethins, has accused Labour of "leaning" into Reform's polices which have "harmed" Scottish families across the country.
He said: "Keir Starmer's Labour Party has broken its promise to voters by imposing austerity cuts to winter heating payments and disabled people, hiking NI taxes on Scottish businesses, and doing nothing to stop energy bills and the cost of living soaring.
"And they've lent into Reform's agenda by embracing a Nigel Farage hard Tory Brexit, and a hostile environment that is damaging Scottish industry.
"Scotland doesn't need Keir Starmer, Nigel Farage or the Tories calling the shots - when their austerity cuts and Brexit policies have done so much harm to Scottish families, businesses and public services.
"Unlike the Westminster parties, the SNP will always defend Scotland's interests, protect our NHS, tackle the cost of living, and make the case for taking decisions in Scotland for Scotland with independence."
On Friday, Swinney said he was “very, very worried” about the prospect of the Reform UK leader taking power at Westminster.
Reform UK have been surging in the polls in the past year, leading Labour and the Tories in surveys from multiple polling firms.
A number of projections have suggested the party could win multiple seats at Holyrood next year, with The National's recent poll suggesting they could win eight MSPs.
Swinney lamented the success of Reform UK across the country, as he said on the Daily Record’s Planet Holyrood podcast, there is potential for the party’s leader, Farage, to win the keys to 10 Downing Street at the next General Election.
“I think there’s a high likelihood that could be the case, yes,” he said. “I worry about that very, very much.
“I think the values of the United Kingdom would be changed in an incredibly damaging way and the values of the United Kingdom would change fundamentally and how it’s perceived around the world.
“That would be bad for all of us.”
