SNP activist challenges John Swinney to leadership contest

John Ferguson

4 May 2024 at 5:58 pm·1-min read

An SNP activist is making a bid to challenge John Swinney to become leader of the party.

Graeme McCormick believes he can gather enough nominations from party branches to trigger a contest.

In 2007 the former lawyer from Arden near Loch Lomond almost beat Labour’s Jackie Baillie to become MSP for Dumbarton.

He has campaigned on land and tax reform and is an outspoken critic of Nicola Sturgeon’s focus on gender politics.

Anyone who can gather 100 signatures, including from 20 different branches, can trigger a leadership race.

At last year’s SNP conference he described the SNP led Scottish Government as “flatulence in a trance”.

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