WATCH: Awkward moment for First Minister John Swinney as heckler asks: ‘Do you identify as an indy party’, adding ‘This party has ruined Scotland’
John Swinney’s campaign stop in Alness got off to an embarrassing start for the SNP when an independence supporter demanded to know: “Do you still identify as an indy party?”.
The First Minister was also told by the vocal heckler: “This party has ruined Scotland”.
Mr Swinney was in the north to support Lucy Beattie, the SNP’s Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross candidate.
But things did not go according to plan when a bystander emerged to berate him.
The man started by saying: “What about independence?” with Mr Swinney responding: “I am going to get to that”.
“You said that about 10 years ago. I campaigned for you lot for 25 years. Do you identify as an indy party?”
The First Minister tried to soldier on and Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes tried to talk to the man to no effect.
Then two activists tried but he did not want to engage and repeatedly told them to “shut up” or “get out of my face” before continuing: “This party has ruined Scotland, promising everything and delivering nothing”.
In the background, Mr Swinney can be heard saying “we can protect the people of Scotland” before the man asked: “When? When are you going to that John?”
The First Minister is making a number of stops in the north but was not talking to the local media until an event in Aviemore later today.
