His comments come after Conservative candidate Susan Hall picked up just 33 per cent of the vote in the London mayoral election
John Swinney’s planned coronation as SNP leader could be thrown off course by an obscure party activist pushing to stand against him in a leadership contest. Graeme McCormick has told reporters that he is confident he can get the 100 signatures from members across 20 different branches by Monday’s noon deadline. The retired conveyancing solicitor from Helensburgh, a land reform campaigner, appears keen to challenge Mr Swinney’s approach to Scottish independence.
Speaking at last year’s SNP conference, Mr McCormick said the party’s plan to secure independence was “flatulence in a trance”. SNP rules mean that if there is there is more than one candidate, then a contest and vote will take place between 13 and 27 May. Asked about the surprise challenge, Mr Swinney told Sky News that he supports “democratic process”. But he added: “Bluntly, I would just like to get on with as quickly as I can do.
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