SNP ‘not worried about polling’ and aiming to win general election in Scotland, campaign director says

Veteran SNP MP Stewart Hosie, 61, is heading up the party’s general election campaign, ahead of stepping down from Westminster after nearly 20 years.

Speaking to The Scotsman this week before police had charged former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, Hosie claimed his party would offer a manifesto showing “Scotland’s values” and claimed Labour were “arrogant” for having estimations on how many seats they could win.

Asked about polling, which has shown an extensive lead UK-wide for Labour and a narrowing lead for the SNP in Scotland, the Dundee East MP insisted the party remained in a good place.

He said: “I’m not worried about the polling this far out from an election. I think the last four polls have the SNP up from the same poll of the same sort. So right now, we’ve got a lot to do. We're maybe six or seven months out. I’m not worried about the polling at the election.

“The polling in England does show the Tory vote has collapsed dramatically, it does show Labour beating them, but it’s not showing them winning in Scotland.

“Our target is the same as we’ve had in many elections. We want to win the general election in Scotland. Our case would be set back if we don’t win the election in Scotland. We will dedicate our resources and brains to doing that”.

Discussing how to combat the rise of Labour, after a YouGov poll earlier this month showed the party leading the SNP in Scotland for the first time since the 2014 independence referendum, Hosie suggested it was about work “on the ground”.

He said: “We recognise elections are there to be fought and won. No party has a right to win a seat. I think it is extraordinarily arrogant for the Labour party to be putting tallies on the gains they may or not make. The polling also shows that people are uncertain about Keir Starmer – very, very uncertain.

“While the Tories are toxic, and overplaying their hand on all these culture issues, I find it gobsmacking that Labour seem to have adopted much of the Tory position in a block. I am not sure that will speak to Scotland or Scotland's values”.

Hosie expressed confidence any concerns about the Scottish Government’s controversial policies would dissipate as an election got closer. The assertion came at the start of a week where the Government was ultimately forced to to ditch its 2030 climate change target and in which the prescription of puberty blockers in Scotland was paused.

Mr Hosie said: “When we get closer to the election, there’ll be the question of who you want to represent you, to represent Scotland, stand up to austerity, and introduce measures to counter the cost-of-living crisis. When these hard issues come to the fore, those other issues talking about will pale into the background.”

Discussing being offered the job, Mr Hosie joked he was “trying to retire”, but insisted he was ready for the challenge.

He said: “I have a bit of experience in these matters. If I can bring my experience to bear and help colleagues in the country to maximise the number of MPs worth returning, I am quite happy to do this role.”