Scotland has lost trust in the SNP because of the party’s priorities and delivery in government, Stephen Flynn has told STV News.
The SNP Westminster leader spoke after First Minister John Swinney chaired a meeting with party members examining the SNP’s crushing General Election result.
The party returned nine MPs on July 4 – down from 48 in 2019.
The closed-door meeting on Friday lasted for more than two hours and was the first event at the SNP conference in Edinburgh.
Speaking to STV News, Flynn said SNP activists had an “open and frank discussion on what went wrong”.
“The trust that we had in the Scottish people has been eroded,” he said.
“That’s happened because of our priorities, it’s happened because of delivery, and of course, it’s happened because of many of the things that happened to us, some of which, have been self-inflicted.”
Asked how the SNP would win back the trust of voters, Flynn said, “you win back the trust by delivering what you say you’re going to do”.
He added: “You can’t lose an election in the way that we did without realising you have lost the trust of the people.”
Flynn would consider standing in 2026 Scottish Parliament election
Looking towards the 2026 Holyrood election, Flynn was asked whether he would consider a bid to become an MSP.
He said that while he wasn’t actively considering running at the moment, it’s something he didn’t rule out.
“It’s something I am going to consider probably later in the half of next year should the party rules decide,” he said.
“It’s not something that I am actively considering right now.”
He said he was “solely focused” on delivering of his Aberdeen South constituents but did not rule out a future bid.
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