Eleven of the 26 Nationalist MSPs now want him to resign, according to a survey by The Sunday Times. Michael Russell, the party’s former chief executive, yesterday became the most senior figure yet to suggest that Swinney should consider resigning.
In an open letter to Swinney, Russell said that last week’s European election result, in which the party lost a third of its support, was a wake-up call and that Swinney should now examine his position.
A delegation of grandees — the men in grey kilts — is expected to visit Swinney this week and urge him to stand aside, making way for Nicola Sturgeon, the party’s justice spokeswoman.
He will be asked to delay his announcement until the start of the summer recess on July 5, after the deadline for leadership challenges has passed.
Swinney is said to have lost the support of his MSPs after a meeting last week intended as a post-mortem on the Euro result, the third election in a row in which the party has suffered a serious setback.
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Backbenchers were angered by Swinney’s refusal to accept blame for the result and over his lack of ideas about how to turn things round.
“When it became clear that John was not prepared to take responsibility for what had gone wrong, people instinctively knew that his time was up,” said one source. “His days as party leader are over. It’s now only a matter of time.”
The Sunday Times spoke to 24 of the 26-strong parliamentary group, with 11 saying they believed Swinney should now step down. Only nine were prepared to stand by the leader, with four refusing to comment.
“If chopping the leader is the only way to save the party we will chop the leader. His leadership is dead in the water,” said one.
Senior party figures, including members of Swinney’s shadow cabinet, are now preparing the way for a clean transfer of power to Sturgeon without a messy and protracted leadership election.
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Russell is the third senior party member publicly to voice concern. Last week Gil Paterson, a former MSP and member of the party’s ruling national executive committee, warned that the SNP faces “a major disaster” at the general election unless Swinney stands down.
Duncan Hamilton, a former SNP MSP who was close to Swinney, has also called on him to reflect on whether he has the qualities to take the Nationalists to victory.