SNP run like a 'ruthless crime gang' says Russell Findlay

By HANNAH RODGER, CHIEF REPORTER FOR THE SCOTTISH MAIL ON SUNDAY Published: 19:37, 18 April 2026 | Updated: 19:37, 18 April 2026 Former crime reporter turned politician Russell Findlay has likened the SNP to a group of gangsters who rule with ‘ruthlessness’ and ‘demand blind loyalty’. The Scottish Tory leader also compared long-serving MSPs to prisoners who have been incarcerated for lengthy periods of time, unable to acclimatise to life in the real world. In a candid interview with the Scottish Mail on Sunday, the politician said the SNP had ‘stark parallels’ to some of the organised criminals he encountered during his three decades as a journalist. He said: ‘People might raise an eyebrow when you say there are comparisons between the behaviours of organised crime and my political opponents, but there are some pretty stark parallels. ‘If you take organised crime, there's an expectation of blind loyalty to those who are your associates, those who are in your gang.  'The cost of betrayal is severe. They will protect one another against all the odds, and there's an absolute ruthlessness to the way in which they treat their opponents. ‘I think you can probably see why I sometimes look at the SNP and I think they are a pretty well-oiled, ruthless machine that doesn’t tolerate dissent.’ Mr Findlay accused John Swinney of ‘protecting his generals’ such as Michael Matheson, the former health secretary who claimed £11,000 on expenses for a mobile internet roaming bill while he was on holiday.  Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay compared the SNP to a group of gangsters The First Minister backed Matheson during the scandal and argued a proposed 54-day ban from Holyrood was too harsh. In reference to SNP pervert Jordan Linden, former North Lanarkshire Council leader who was convicted on 10 counts of sexual assault and harassment of young men and boys, he said: ‘Journalists are going after people who have committed serious wrongdoing, including sexual abuse of young people, and the SNP’s instinct is to shut it down and attack the journalists, their integrity and to protect their own, even when doing so they were defending the indefensible.’ Unlike many other Scottish politicians, Mr Findlay said he has not been enamoured by the Scottish Parliament. He said: ‘The parliament does strange things to people. You see some MSPs and they’re like people who have been trapped in the prison system for too long, they are completely institutionalised. I prefer being out and about, talking to real people.’ Mr Findlay, 53, said he believed he was one of few political party leaders in Scotland who could understand first-hand the difficulties of bringing up a family with little money, having raised his daughter as a single parent. He said: ‘Looking at the current leaders, Anas Sarwar is a multi-millionaire, as is Lord Offord. ‘John Swinney's been on the MSP and cabinet-level salary for decades.  'These guys, I'm not saying they lack empathy, but I don't think they know what it's like to be someone living from pay check to pay check. I find it frustrating when people sneer at the Tories.  'They want to characterise us as wealthy, out of touch, having no regard for ordinary people, when in fact, many of my MSP colleagues like myself have got very normal, ordinary backgrounds. ‘I spent almost 30 years working as a newspaper journalist. I wasn't well paid by the measure of many people in society. ‘Raising my daughter by myself meant making hard choices. There'd be times when I wouldn't buy anything I didn't absolutely need, because my priority would be to have enough money at the end of the month to put away a bit for a summer holiday that year. First Minister John Swinney is said by Findlay to act as though money 'grows on trees' ‘You make sacrifices on a single wage, you don't have any fallback, so you just have to learn to cut your cloth accordingly.’ He said the SNP didn’t have the same level of respect for money, and said: ‘I look at the way in which the SNP so recklessly and disrespectfully spend taxpayers' money. 'If you did have a Conservative administration, mark my words, I would treat taxpayers’ money as if it were my own.  'Money is hard to come by and easy to get rid of, but the way in which the SNP behaves, you would think it does grow in trees.’ Mr Findlay said his party wants to bring down income tax rates and ‘build a benefit system that's fair - not one that is a gigantic neon sign saying “Roll up, roll up. Get your free money here”. ‘ The political leader said he was particularly proud of his party’s manifesto pledge for funded nursery places and said: ‘When my daughter was at nursery, I paid fees of hundreds of pounds a month, not far off my mortgage. I had to find the money for that; it was a painful sting. ‘At that time there was free provision I was entitled to but I couldn't get it, because the way in which the SNP had set it up was a scam. You couldn't actually obtain it… It was the equivalent of the ferry with painted on windows. ‘We've got a policy in the manifesto for funded nursery provision from nine months to three years, that actually works for people.’ No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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