'I'm not scared of Nigel Farage': SNP's Stephen Flynn answers your questions

Watch Stephen Flynn's full interview with ITV News politics reporter Lewis Denison

"I'm not scared of Nigel Farage," the SNP's Westminster Leader Stephen Flynn has declared, as he urged politicians to "stand firm" against what he described as the "far-right".

The Scot was forthright in his rejection of Reform UK, which has surged in the polls since the Brexiter took over two weeks ago, telling ITV News people must take Farage's self-proclaimed trajectory "very seriously now".

Some polls have suggested Reform could beat the Tories to second place in this General Election, and Farage has claimed he could become prime minister in five years.

But Flynn said progressive politicians in the UK must be "bold and upfront" to prevent that happening.

To do that in Parliament, and to achieve his party's purpose of gaining independence from the UK, the Scottish National Party needs to stage a comeback to reverse the polls.

One step toward that, Flynn will hope, was an interview with ITV News where the politician answered questions sent to us by social media users.

ITV News will be replicating the same format of asking the party leaders questions sent in by you, throughout the campaign before the General Election on July 4.

Follow @itvpolitics on Instagram and TikTok to get involved.

Flynn on Scotland's 'immigration problem'

Flynn admitted to ITV News that Scotland has a "problem with migration", but it was not the same issue raised by Nigel Farage, Rishi Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer; that it's too high.

"Our problem with migration is we don't have enough. We need more people coming to live and work in Scotland," he said, pointing to staff shortages in the NHS.

But migrants aren't only needed to fill critical vacancies, Flynn added, they "boost the wider economy" by paying taxes and spending money.

"This is where politicians need to deal in facts rather than right-wing populist rhetoric," he said, in reference to Farage.

"Unfortunately, far too many politicians are scared to do that" because they are "scared of Nigel Farage".

"I'm not scared of Nigel Farage. What worries me is his politics, and the best way to defeat them is to oppose them loudly and clearly."

Why is Flynn often gunning for Labour?

A number of our social media followers wanted to know why Flynn attacks Labour so much, given it is the Conservatives his party is most opposed to.

It has been noted that the SNP's Westminster leader uses a lot of his time at Prime Minister's Questions to criticise Starmer rather than the PM - so we asked why.

"Maybe it's because the Labour Party have lost their way a wee bit," he said.

"In three weeks time, Keir Starmer is going to be prime minister. The election's over, the Tories are finished. Everyone knows he's going to be in power.

"And I think it's right that we scrutinise their proposals now, as I've sought to do over the course of recent weeks and months."

Flynn has repeatedly condemned Labour's position on Gaza, calling for an end to the weapons trade with Israel, an issue he said he will continue to raise.

He also said Labour must also be "held to account" on issues including child poverty and developing a closer relationship with Europe after Brexit.

"I think it's fair that I hold those in power to account. And ultimately Keir Starmer is going to be in power very soon and we can provide that strong voice."

Brexit and Farage

Flynn said it is he who will provide a "strong voice" of opposition to Labour in the Commons but Farage has already declared his party the official opposition and claimed he could be in 10 Downing Street after the next election likely in 2029.

Asked about the possibility of a Prime Minister Farage, Flynn said he could respond with a flippant answer "but I think it's probably moved beyond that now. I think we do have to take this very seriously now."

Due to First Past the Post (more on that later), Farage's Reform UK party is not predicted to win enough seats to actually become the official opposition but it is very likely to get millions of votes.

Farage is hoping those millions of votes are enough to wipe out the Conservatives, so his party is poised to replace it at the next election.

But Flynn, who has always made his opposition to the Conservatives clear, did not want Farage to succeed.

"I don't want to see Nigel Farage achieve anything and political life. He's failed to be elected to Westminster on what, seven occasions. The project that he devoted his entire life to has been an utter disaster.

"Brexit has been an unmitigated disaster."

The SNP candidate said he wants to "rejoin the European Union, to go back to freedom of movement so that we could all travel and work freely across Europe, or our businesses can access the European single market".

Flynn said Farage and his party are "far-right" but this is a charge they've vehemently rejected.

Flynn added: "We need to be bold and upfront and straightforward in saying that we reject their politics, that migrants are welcome.

"There's a reluctance, particularly amongst the Westminster parties, to do that because they're terrified of speaking about the benefits of migration, which of course is where Nigel Farage feels he can win some votes."

Electoral reform

Like most parties other than Labour and the Conservatives, who massively benefit from the First Past the Post (FPP) voting system, the SNP wants to replace it with proportional representation.

The main criticism of FPP is that the number of votes for a party does not translate into an equivalent number of seats because only the winner in each constituency gets representation.

So a party could get millions of votes by finishing second in areas across the country but get no seats in Parliament.

The SNP has had great success under First Past the Post, winning several dozen seats in every General Election since 2015.

But Flynn said: "Sometimes in politics it's about doing the right thing - getting rid of First Past the Post would be doing the right thing".

Would the SNP legalise cannabis?

Cannabis is currently a Class B illegal drug, meaning someone convicted of possession could end up in jail for five years.

But Flynn said illegal drugs should be "treated as a public health measure rather than simply a criminal matter because the current status quo that we've had for decades hasn't worked".

A majority of US states have now legalised the drug either entirely or for medical use.

In 2018, the UK allowed doctors to prescribe medicinal products using cannabis compounds but they are heavily restricted.

Flynn thinks that "in time" the other main parties will adopt the NHS approach and follow the US in moving toward legalisation.

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Is independence still an SNP priority?

The SNP's sole goal when it was set up was to campaign for an independent Scotland. The party came very close when it forced a referendum in 2014, but lost with 55% of voters rejecting it.

But the 2015 general election proved the dream was not dead. The party got more votes than it ever had, winning a huge 56 seats, up from the six it previously held.

Since then, however, leaders in Westminster have repeatedly rejected the idea of another referendum on independence.

And with the party engulfed by scandal since the departure of Nicola Sturgeon, independence any time soon feels unrealistic.

Flynn does not think so.

"I would like to think that we could get independence referendum within the next five years," he said, "but ultimately, that's for the people of Scotland to decide.

"A vote for the SNP is a vote for independence. It's who we are.

"We believe that Scotland's future should be in Scotland's hands, and the only way to make that happen is for the people of Scotland to vote for it."