SCOTLAND “must not be complacent” about the rise of Reform UK, a departing SNP minister has said, as he insisted the country is “not immune” to their threat.
Richard Lochhead – who has been part of the Scottish Parliament since it was reconvened in 1999 – announced last month he would be standing down as an MSP at the next Holyrood election.
In a conversation with The National, the Business Minister reflected on what had changed the most in the 26 years he had been an MSP, in which he revealed fears about the growing threat of Reform.
In saying the Parliament had become more “toxic” over the last decade, he said Nigel Farage’s party could make that worse and stressed “we must be on our guard” as polls predict Reform could snatch several Holyrood seats next year.
Asked what had changed about the Parliament in his time, Lochhead said: “Moving from a Scottish executive to become a government was one of our smartest moves because it’s enhanced the status of the Parliament in Scotland and we are a proper Government and we have made long-term changes because we’ve [the SNP] been in power for so long.
“On the downside Parliament is a lot more toxic.”
Pressed on why he felt the Parliament had become more toxic, he added: “As we can see across the world there is right-wing populism and polarisation of politics and Scotland is not immune to that.
“If Reform were to win MSPs at the next Parliament then it would become even deeper.
“Over the last 10 years I think we’ve had a lot of politicians on the opposition benches driven by single issues into politics, be that getting out of Europe or stopping independence, so clearly these are quite polarising issues.”
A poll carried out by Find Out Now at the weekend put Reform at 13% on the constituency and 11% on the list, with expert John Curtice predicting they would win nine seats at Holyrood based on the results.
While Lochhead said the SNP need to remain positive given recent polls suggest they will still be the largest party in 2026, he said there is no room for complacency amid Reform’s rise that Curtice described as “well-maintained”.
Asked whether he was worried about Reform, Lochhead said: “Some of the factors we’ve seen across Europe and the world Scotland is not immune to and we have to be on our guard and we must not be complacent because otherwise Reform will get more votes in Scotland.
Lochhead is the second MSP who has been there for the entire duration of the Parliament to announce he will be standing down at the next election after the SNP's Christine Grahame also confirmed her plans to resign last year.
He said he would be seeking “fresh challenges outwith frontline politics”, adding it had been the privilege of his life to represent the people of Moray.
Lochhead was first elected as an MSP in 1999 for the north east region, a position he was again elected to in 2003.
He then stepped down in 2006 in order to stand in the Moray by-election sparked by the death of the SNP’s Margaret Ewing. Lochhead won and has been elected for the constituency in every Holyrood election since.
“I’ve been elected at every single election plus a by-election,” he said.
“I hold the record for the number of elections to the Scottish Parliament so that’s a pub quiz question for anyone.”
Lochhead has spent time as a backbencher and a minister. He was the cabinet secretary for rural affairs, food and environment from 2007 until he stepped down in 2016.
He returned to government in August 2018 as the minister for further education, became just transition minister in 2021, and then business minister in 2023.
SNP MSP Michael Matheson – who has also been in the Parliament since 1999 – told the Institute for Government in an interview in October about the toll ministerial life had taken on his family, adding the “political space” he was operating in was “unforgiving”.
Lochhead (below) said while being in Government had been stressful at points for him and his family, he said being a minister had been the best part of his political career.
“I like vision in politics so it’s been an absolute honour to be able to try and realise my vision for various portfolios, so therefore there’s nothing to beat being in government,” he told The National.
Asked about what he deemed to be his greatest achievements at Holyrood, Lochhead still cherished handing the Labour-LibDem coalition their first defeat in 2001.
“As an opposition spokesperson I inflicted the first defeat on a sitting administration post-devolution for the tie-up scheme for fisherman, so that was a bit of history at the time,” he said.
“In government there’s a range of policies I’ve introduced I’m so proud of like the first national food and drink policy, which is still talked about today as something which has helped the industry prosper.”
As he moves into his final year as an MSP, Lochhead said while his main hope was to see the Scottish Parliament one day head up an independent country, he hoped in the immediate future to see MSPs talk up Scotland more and for the Government to continue its renewed focus on the economy.
“The Swinney-Forbes partnership is going down well with the country and particularly the business community,” he said.
“I have always wanted to see a greater focus on the economy. We’ve got very exciting economic sectors and we’ve got to throw more resources at them and if we do that they will pay huge dividends for the country.
“They’ll give confidence to the people of Scotland and we’ll have the ability to be an independent country because we’ll have successful sectors and raise more revenue and taxes.”
He added: “I think it’s really important to generate optimism in the country and I think we have to talk up all the great things that are happening.
“One of the ironies is when you go overseas people are much more positive about Scotland than what we are perhaps in our own country. We have to be a lot less modest.
“That in itself will generate momentum and a dynamic that leads to a more prosperous country and more confidence in the case for independence.”
