Scottish National Party

The Scottish National Party was formed in 1934 through the merger of the National Party of Scotland and the Scottish Party. Its central constitutional objective became Scottish independence, although the early nationalist movement contained differing views about whether Scotland should seek home rule or full statehood.

Official SNP website ↗

Early years and the nationalist breakthrough

The SNP remained a relatively small force for its first decades. Robert McIntyre won a Westminster by-election at Motherwell in 1945 but lost the seat at the general election shortly afterwards. The party’s more durable electoral breakthrough came when Winnie Ewing won the Hamilton by-election in 1967.

In the 1970s the SNP linked the discovery and development of North Sea oil to its constitutional case and made major gains at Westminster, particularly at the October 1974 general election. The party supported the creation of a Scottish Assembly, but the 1979 devolution referendum failed to produce an Assembly under the statutory turnout rule then in force.

Devolution and government

Under Alex Salmond, the SNP developed a more disciplined electoral strategy and became one of the principal forces supporting a Scottish Parliament. Devolution was approved in the 1997 referendum and the new Parliament opened in 1999.

The SNP became the largest party at Holyrood in 2007 and formed a minority Scottish Government. It won an outright majority in 2011, a result that enabled the Scottish Government and UK Government to agree the 2014 independence referendum. Scotland voted against independence by 55.3% to 44.7%.

Westminster surge and the post-referendum period

Following the referendum, SNP membership and electoral support rose sharply. The party won 56 of Scotland’s 59 Westminster seats in 2015. It remained the dominant party at Holyrood for much of the following decade, while continuing to argue for a further route to independence.

The party later experienced leadership change, internal disputes and electoral setbacks. Its modern history remains closely bound to the constitutional debate, but it has also governed across the full range of devolved policy areas.