Swinney says he and Sturgeon ‘still friends’ despite election campaign criticism

John Swinney has said he spoke to Nicola Sturgeon over the summer and they remain friends, despite her criticism of the SNP’s election campaign earlier this year.

Asked about his predecessor’s comments on Sunday, the First Minister said he won the Scottish Parliament election in May “commandingly”.

In a new foreword for her memoir, Ms Sturgeon said the SNP campaign had been detached from the issues impacting Scots, claiming it lacked “vision” and “big picture thinking”.

Senior figures in the SNP have strongly disputed her assessment.

During an appearance on the BBC’s Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg show, Mr Swinney was asked when he had last spoken to Ms Sturgeon.

John Swinney was asked about Nicola Sturgeon’s comments on the SNP election campaign (Jane Barlow/PA)

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“I’ve talked to her over the summer,” he said.

“We’re still friends, but I think the point I’d make is that I won the election pretty commandingly.”

Mr Swinney was also asked about the SNP’s attempts to recoup the sum of more than £400,000 which was embezzled by its former chief executive, Peter Murrell.

He said he felt “absolutely gutted” when Murrell admitted the crime and it had been a “hugely damaging and traumatic experience for my party”.

Mr Swinney said he had felt most hurt by the fact he knows people who had worked “very, very hard” to raise money for the party at events.

A Proceeds of Crime hearing is due to take place for Murrell later this year, which Mr Swinney said he expects to be “successful” in recovering the money for the SNP.

He added: “But there are, of course, civil remedies available to the Scottish National Party.

John Swinney recently joined a pro-independence summit with the leaders of Plaid Cymru and Sinn Féin (PA)

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“We will reserve our position on that until such time as the Crown process is concluded.”

Mr Swinney also discussed Andy Burnham’s recent comments about Scottish independence.

In his recent speech to the Labour conference, Mr Burnham said he is “utterly determined” to prove wrong Mr Swinney’s assertion that he will be the last Prime Minister of the UK.

Mr Swinney said: “I think what his statement made me realise – just the extent to which he realises he has got to prove that he will not be the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

“I think the only way that he can do that is by enabling the people of Scotland to have a choice about their own constitutional future, and that means he has to agree to a referendum on independence.”

The SNP leader also referred to the recent summit involving himself, Plaid Cymru and Sinn Féin leaders in Cardiff.

He said: “I think there’s an absolute obligation on the Prime Minister to recognise that the United Kingdom is now a fundamentally different constitutional entity, because Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are led by first ministers who want to leave the United Kingdom.”