Constitutional change is coming
by Read Stephen Flynn MSP’s welcome Address to SNP conference 2026
Good morning conference.
And welcome to Aberdeen.
You know, I was thinking, the last time we gathered here in this magnificent city, we were looking ahead to the Holyrood election.
At that point I don’t think any of us were certain as to what was going to come next…
But we know now, don’t we?
In May this year we saw our party record the biggest winning margin in any Scottish Parliament election.
After 19 years in power, our party, the Scottish National Party, defied the doom and gloom of the political commentators
Defied the misery and scaremongering of the Unionist politicians
And delivered 58 seats in our national parliament.
A Parliament that now hosts the most pro-independence MSPs in its history.
And friends, you should all be proud of what you have helped to achieve…
Because we beat the Lib Dems in Shetland for the first time ever.
We beat the Tories in East Renfrewshire.
We beat Labour in the Secretary of State’s own backyard of East Lothian.
And we beat Nigel Farage in Every. Single. Constituency. Battle.
And conference do you know why that is?
It’s because the Scottish National Party is no branch office…
…we don’t take our orders from the Westminster establishment
…we certainly don’t take our orders from crypto billionaires…
No, we take them only from the Scottish people…
And they know that the SNP always stands up for Scotland.
And delegates, let us never be in any doubt that our electoral success has far reaching consequences right across these islands.
Consequences that lead right to the front door of Number 10, Downing Street…
And you don’t need to take my word for that – just ask Keir Starmer
Because, be in no doubt, that the electoral success of our friends in Plaid in Wales
And of ourselves here in Scotland
Ended the reign of yet another Westminster Prime Minister…
Friends, the eighth Prime Minister to tumble during our time in office
And that explains why Mr Burnham is so obsessed with John Swinney and the Scottish National Party
Because he knows
He understands
That for as long as the binds of their Union continues to burst at the seams…
There is no possible way that any UK Prime Minister can seriously survive…
…and it is on that note, conference, that I have some bad news for the Labour Leader
We will never stop
We will never relent
We will never shy away from the battle to secure our nation’s independence
Our message to Mr Burnham is simple
If you do believe that the United Kingdom status quo is worth saving
If you do believe that it is worth fighting for
Then bring it on, and let the people of Scotland decide
Conference,
There is also, of course, the possibility that this latest Prime Minister isn’t quite as confident as he lets on
After all, the Burnham Bounce in Scotland shows the SNP winning over 40 seats in a General Election
A bounce so high he’d barely make it over what’s left of Hadrian’s wall
But we can’t, and won’t let him off the hook
Because on one hand he openly talks to the people of Scotland about returning to the legitimate democratic question of Brexit
Yet states that he doesn’t want to address the legitimate democratic question of Scottish independence
It’s almost like he has been taking advice from Anas Sarwar
The man who told us that he was a lifelong campaigner against the House of Lords
Just as he was taking up a seat in the House of Lords…
Anas, of course, took the route that most unionists tend to take
Running the low road from Holyrood to Westminster
The public know that those with a real interest in Scotland’s future take the high road in the opposite direction…
But, of course, when we speak of Anas
We must do so with a profound sense of sympathy for our old friend Douglas Alexander
Yes, you did hear me right
It can’t have been an easy summer for the Secretary of State for Scotland losing his title as the most unpopular politician in Scottish Labour…
But conference, in all seriousness, as you spend the weekend here in Aberdeen there is one thing I recommend you do.
Take a walk down the coast.
Not for the golden sands, the dolphins, or the breakfast rolls at the Inversnecky.
But go to see Scotland’s energy wealth in action.
The ships drifting in and out of the harbour.
The choppers shipping men and women out to our rigs.
The blades on the turbines of the world’s largest floating offshore windfarm turning.
Go to see the opportunity and value that rests on our doorstep.
An energy industry that can and should support safe, secure, and valuable jobs now and into the future.
An energy industry that can and should help us power homes, schools, and village halls for decades to come.
Go to see what energy security looks like. What energy abundance looks like. What world class natural resources and talent can deliver.
And when you come back, ask why that wealth does not flow into every home in Scotland.
Ask why people will this winter once again choose between heating and eating.
Ask why we would possibly export jobs and import energy from across the world, when it already exists on our doorstep.
And know that the answer is simple.
It’s because we have allowed Westminster to control our resources and our future.
In a world fraught with risk and challenge we must recognise the strength of what we have here at home.
We must be serious about the opportunity it affords us.
And we must fight for the power to be put back in Scotland’s hands.
And conference,
When we do finally regain control over those powers, we must build upon the work we are already doing to get our economy growing.
Whether it is the multi-billion-pound dualling of the A9
The plan to dual to A96
The long-term solution at the Rest and Be Thankful
The new, soon to be delivered 4 major vessels for our western isles
The seven smaller vessels currently being built
The two new vessels for the Northern Isles
The 69 new suburban trains
Or
The electrification of the fife and borders rail routes
Let it be known that it is the Scottish National Party who are investing in Scotland’s transport network and building for Scotland’s future…
Just as we are using the powers that we have to make life easier for the public during this constant cost-of-living crisis
Whether that’s the removal of peak rail fares.
Free bus travel for the elderly, disabled or young
Fairer food prices for those struggling at the supermarket
Or the £2 bus fare cap that already covers 60% of our nation’s land, benefitting half of her people.
It is our actions, it is our promises, it is our delivery that is making a difference to the people we serve.
And conference, let me tell you that as I have travelled across Scotland in recent months, I have been able to see our economic potential up close and personal.
We have strengths that other countries can only dream of.
From farming to fintech.
From subsea engineering to satellite manufacturing.
From advanced robotics to AI research.
From semiconductors to scotch.
We have an economy that is bursting with ideas and potential…
Now, I’ve seen some nonsense from the Labour Party about how we should instead have an economy more like Manchester.
Friends, make no mistake –
Our comparison is to no city.
Scotland isn’t a region.
Scotland is a nation.
Instead, our comparison must be to those independent states in the EU.
Those independent states – with higher productivity, lower poverty, and better living standards.
Like Ireland – which has just unveiled a cost-of-living budget which cuts fuel duty for drivers, cuts costs on home heating, and increases incomes for workers, parents and pensioners.
Whilst here, Westminster throws support at steelworks at Scunthorpe, but shuts down our refinery at Grangemouth
So, conference, let them talk about Manchester.
They can have their Number 10 North.
We’ll have our independence in Europe.
And that’s the difference, isn’t it.
The ambition of the Scottish National Party versus the narrow Westminster vision.
We are the party of independence.
We have a vision for Scotland
Not rooted in memories of a country that was, but what our country can be.
And friends, let me be clear with you all that we each have a role to play in delivering that future
None of us more so, than our Party Leader
A man whose principles and moral rigour stand any test
A man whose conviction on independence has flowed through him his entire life, in the service of Scotland.
Who was there when we secured our Parliament?
Who was there when we won in 2007?
Who was on the front line in 2014?
Who was there when we needed him in 2023?
Who was there when our party won a landslide in May?
And who will be there as we win our independence?
That’s right – John Swinney – with every single one of us right by his side.
Now conference, before I go I just want to leave you with one final message.
There is a reason our movement was the lynchpin of Andy Burnham’s speech.
Not Nigel Farage, not Kemi Badenoch.
Us. The SNP.
It is because constitutional change is coming.
75 years ago, two million Scots signed the Scottish National Covenant, with a humble request of Scottish home rule.
Look at where we stand now.
3 nations in the UK whose leaders are committed to constitutional change.
A British Prime Minister telling us we can have our independence when the people of Scotland want it.
All of us should feel pride on how far our movement has come.
To paraphrase John MacCormick – “it’s been a long race, but perhaps the final lap is now in sight.”
We are winning the argument.
We can see that by reading the newspapers or listening to the panic of Unionist politicians.
But there is no shortcut.
There is no political wheeze that can change the task ahead of us.
One by one we must persuade our families, our friends and our neighbours of our cause.
One by one. Step by step.
It takes effort. It takes patient persuasion. It takes the hard graft.
But we can see that it is working.
And it is precisely because it is working, that the period ahead will be the greatest challenge our movement has ever faced.
But with the weight of Scottish public opinion moving to our cause – we will see that final lap through.
Together.
For Scotland.
Thank you.