LONDON: Scotland’s First Minister John Swinney on Saturday called for his country to be given independence before the UK’s next general elections, warning the anti-immigrant Reform party would win.

“Nigel Farage is now galloping towards Downing Street and the prospect of a Reform-led government is more likely than not,” Swinney said.

He was speaking after results from Thursday’s local and regional polls showed Farage’s far-right Reform party had stormed into the Scottish and Welsh parliaments for the first time.

“What is coming our way is the likelihood of Farage being the next prime minister of the United Kingdom,” he said, although UK general elections are not due before 2029.

“We need to have the protection of being an independent country from being affected and influenced by the election of a Farage government.” Swinney’s Scottish National Party (SNP) again became the largest party in Holyrood, as the 129-seat parliament is known, winning 58 seats in Thursday’s polls.

But that falls short of a majority.

Reform tied neck-and-neck with Labour, with both parties scoring 17 seats. Speaking to supporters in Edin-burgh, Swinney said Farage has talked about abolishing the Scottish parliament.

“It is vital we unite in Scotland to ensure our parliament is fully Farage-proofed,” said Swinney.

“That means having the power before 2029 to decide our own constitutional future without Farage being able to block us.”

Published in Dawn, May 10th, 2026