Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

SNP’s voter base shrinks to 72,000 after 2019 peak

Scottish National Party now has 72,186 members eligible to vote in the ongoing leadership contest, compared with 125,000 in 2019

SNP’s voter base shrinks to 72,000 after 2019 peak

The number of voting members of the Scottish National Party (SNP) has shrunk dramatically from its pre-pandemic peak.

It now has 72,186 members eligible to vote in the ongoing leadership contest, compared with 125,000 in 2019 when the membership size topped out - clocking a decline of about 42 per cent since then.

It recorded 104,000 members in December 2021.

Critics have attributed the fall to the SNP’s push for gender recognition reforms and its inability to make any meaningful headway in holding a second vote on Scotland’s exit from the UK.

A transgender controversy surfaced over a male rapist who had changed gender after being convicted. Under contentious reforms pushed through by the SNP government, they would have been allowed to serve in a women's prison. But the UK government blocked the law in an unprecedented move.

Despite the SNP’s vociferous demand for a second vote on Scotland’s independence, several surveys have shown the public is still in support of the country remaining part of the UK.

According to a YouGov opinion poll last week, just 39 per cent of Scots back independence while 47 per cent wish to remain part of the union. This indicates there has been no reversal in the Scottish people’s stand on the independence question since the 2014 referendum when the country voted 55-45 in favour of remaining in the union.

However, despite little progress by the SNP in achieving its stated objective of Scotland’s independence, it still remained the largest political party in the country.

“After many years of delivering for people across Scotland and working towards a better future as an independent country, the SNP remains the biggest – and indeed the only mass membership – party in Scotland,” an SNP spokesperson said after releasing the latest membership numbers.

The figures were made public after all three contestants in the SNP leadership race - Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan - demanded transparency on how the election is run.

The leadership contest is necessitated after Nicola Sturgeon unexpectedly resigned as the first minister last month.

More For You

F-35B jet

The UK has agreed to move the aircraft to the Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility at the airport.

Indian Air Force

F-35B jet still stranded in Kerala, UK sends engineers for repair

UK AVIATION engineers are arriving in Thiruvananthapuram to carry out repairs on an F-35B Lightning jet belonging to the Royal Navy, which has remained grounded after an emergency landing 12 days ago.

The jet is part of the HMS Prince of Wales Carrier Strike Group of the UK's Royal Navy. It made the emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram airport on June 14. The aircraft, valued at over USD 110 million, is among the most advanced fighter jets in the world.

Keep ReadingShow less
Ahmedabad air crash
Relatives carry the coffin of a victim, who was killed in the Air India Flight 171 crash, during a funeral ceremony in Ahmedabad on June 15, 2025. (Photo: Getty Images)

Ahmedabad crash: Grief, denial and trauma haunt families

TWO weeks after the crash of Air India flight AI-171 in Ahmedabad, families of victims are grappling with grief and trauma. Psychiatrists are now working closely with many who continue to oscillate between denial and despair.

The crash occurred on June 12, when the London-bound flight hit the BJ Medical College complex shortly after takeoff, killing 241 people on board and 29 on the ground. Only one passenger survived.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starmer apologises for 'island of strangers' immigration speech

Prime minister Keir Starmer delivers a speech at The British Chambers of Commerce Global Annual Conference in London on June 26, 2025. (Photo by EDDIE MULHOLLAND/AFP via Getty Images)

Starmer apologises for 'island of strangers' immigration speech

PRIME MINISTER Sir Keir Starmer has admitted he was wrong to warn that Britain could become an "island of strangers" due to high immigration, saying he "deeply" regrets the controversial phrase.

Speaking to The Observer, Sir Keir said he would not have used those words if he had known they would be seen as echoing the language of Enoch Powell's notorious 1968 "rivers of blood" speech.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sir Sajid Javid leads commission 'tackling social divisions'

Sir Sajid Javid (Photo by Tom Nicholson-WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Sir Sajid Javid leads commission 'tackling social divisions'

A cross-party group has been formed to tackle the deep divisions that sparked last summer's riots across England. The new commission will be led by former Tory minister Sir Sajid Javid and ex-Labour MP Jon Cruddas.

The Independent Commission on Community and Cohesion has backing from both prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Tory leader Kemi Badenoch. It brings together 19 experts from different political parties and walks of life.

Keep ReadingShow less
​Masum

Masum was seen on CCTV trying to steer the pram away and, when she refused to go with him, stabbed her multiple times before walking away and boarding a bus. (Photo: West Yorkshire Police)

West Yorkshire Police

Habibur Masum convicted of murdering estranged wife in front of baby

A MAN who stabbed his estranged wife to death in Bradford in front of their baby has been convicted of murder.

Habibur Masum, 26, attacked 27-year-old Kulsuma Akter in broad daylight on April 6, 2024, stabbing her more than 25 times while she pushed their seven-month-old son in a pram. The baby was not harmed.

Keep ReadingShow less