John Swinney writes to other party leaders – except Reform UK's Malcolm Offord

SNP leader John Swinney has written to the other leaders at Holyrood – except Reform – inviting them to work with him in the new parliament.

Swinney’s party won 58 seats in last week’s election – seven short of a majority – meaning it will have to work with its opponents to pass legislation.

He has today written to the leaders of Scottish Labour, the Greens, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, asking them to meet with him this week.

He said: “The SNP government has been emphatically re-elected, but it is right that we now look to find common ground. I am today urging every party other than Reform UK to work openly and constructively with us in the national interest – and I give my assurance that my government will operate on a basis of cross-party cooperation.

“But I have been very clear – we will have absolutely nothing to do with Reform UK. They have nothing to offer the people of Scotland; I fundamentally disagree with their values and many of those who have been elected to represent them have expressed reprehensible views.”

He added: “I said during the election campaign that we would lock them out of influence in the Scottish Parliament and that is exactly what I will do.”

But Scottish Conservatives leader Russell Findlay declined Swinney’s offer, calling it a “PR stunt which has been made in bad faith”.

He added: “You have consistently refused to listen to the message that another divisive referendum on separating Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom is unwanted.”

Scottish Lib Dems leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “In due course, there will be time to discuss these matters, but the ink is barely even dry on the results and John Swinney has not been reappointed as first minister yet.

“We need the parliament to focus on fixing our NHS, addressing the cost of living crisis, and getting Scottish education back to its best. Equipped with the extra votes and extra seats which people have entrusted to us, and using our more powerful position in this new parliament, our fight for change with fairness at its heart starts right now.”

Helen McDade, one of Reform’s 17 new MSPs, has accused the other parties of being “childish” for choosing not to work with Malcolm Offord’s party at Holyrood.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, she said: “Obviously, many of our aims may not align but many of our aims should be aligning – making Scotland better, getting our economy back on track, balancing private sector enterprise with the public sector.”

“We live in a democracy and people have voted,” McDade added, saying that it would “play very badly” for other parties if they refused to work with Reform.