Kate Forbes says SNP needs to rebuild and regain trust of electorate after ‘difficult night’
Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes said the SNP must rebuild after a “difficult” night that saw the party lose dozens of seats across the country.
Ms Forbes – who famously said during her own run at the SNP leadership that ‘continuity won’t cut it’ – believes that ‘this has been a change election – it's the word that has resonated with voters’.
She now feels the SNP has just under two years to rebuild because ‘ultimately the bottom line is we need to rebuild and regain the trust of the electorate’.
“It is a very difficult night for the SNP and I think there's two reasons for that,” said Ms Forbes.
“I think first of all this has been a change election – it's the word that has resonated with voters and we know that they wanted to get rid of the Conservative government in London...
“But secondly, for the SNP, we absolutely need to hear the message that the electorate are telling us. I'm sure there will be, over the next few days, a lot of digesting and unpacking what that message means.
“But ultimately the bottom line is we need to rebuild and regain the trust of the electorate.
She was asked about her phrase ‘continuity won’t cut it’.
“That's what I believe John Swinney and I were endeavouring to do when we were appointed just two weeks after the election was called,” she answered.
“The reason that I backed him, the reason I supported him was because he was committed to an agenda of change.
“That included putting economic growth front and centre where perhaps it may not have always been and getting serious about ensuring our priorities, the priorities of the party, reflected the priorities of the people.
“Now, we have two years before the Scottish Parliament elections in 2026 and that is an opportunity to ensure we can demonstrate delivery, implementation and change.”
