What Scottish National Party does

The Scottish National Party (SNP) is a centre-left, social-democratic political party founded in 1934 and headquartered at Gordon Lamb House, Edinburgh. It is the party of government in the Scottish Parliament, having held office continuously since 2007, and currently leads the devolved administration under First Minister John Swinney with Jenny Gilruth as Deputy First Minister. The SNP is the principal advocate for Scottish independence, having led the 2014 referendum "Yes" campaign, and operates with 623 elected MPs and MSPs representing constituencies across Scotland.

The party's core digital product is the snp.org platform ecosystem, which bundles an official website, online membership enrolment, a donation platform, a policy portal covering 24 policy areas, an events and campaign management system, and a directory of elected representatives. Supporting sub-products include the SNP Record portal showcasing government achievements and Yes.scot, a dedicated independence-campaign site with pledge sign-up. Distribution runs through Scottish and UK Parliaments, a network of constituency offices, and an extensive multi-channel communications stack spanning Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, LinkedIn, BlueSky, Threads, TikTok, WhatsApp, and Messenger broadcast channels, with email operations supported by MailChimp, Marketing Cloud, and SendGrid, and CRM via Salesforce.

The SNP is an unincorporated membership organisation funded through membership fees, donations, and public funding for political activity, regulated by the UK Electoral Commission. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. Major recent governance disruption includes the 2026 sentencing of former chief executive Peter Murrell for embezzling over £400,000 of party funds between 2010 and 2022; former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was investigated in the same matter and cleared in March 2025.

Name

Scottish National Party

Legal name

Scottish National Party

Website

https://snp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1934

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

The Scottish National Party is Scotland's largest political party and party of government since 2007, headquartered in Edinburgh and advocating Scottish independence. It serves Scottish voters, members, and donors through a multi-channel digital platform spanning snp.org, membership services, donations, and constituency representation by 623 elected MPs and MSPs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Edinburgh

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

The Scottish National Party (SNP) is a centre-left, social-democratic political party founded in 1934 that fields candidates in Scottish elections, advocates for Scottish independence from the United Kingdom, and operates as an unincorporated membership organisation registered with the UK Electoral Commission. It contests elections at Holyrood, Westminster, and local government levels, and currently leads the Scottish Government.

Product overview

The Scottish National Party operates a unified digital platform ecosystem centered on its main website (snp.org), which serves as the primary interface for political engagement. The platform includes membership enrollment services, an online donation system, a comprehensive policy information portal covering 24 policy areas, an events and campaign management system, and a representative finder for constituents to connect with MSPs and MPs. Supporting platforms include the SNP Record portal showcasing government achievements since 2007, and the Yes.scot independence campaign platform. All components are integrated with social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn, BlueSky, Threads, TikTok) and messaging platforms (WhatsApp, Messenger) for distributed communication, while email operations utilize MailChimp, Marketing Cloud, and SendGrid.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Party Membership
• Scottish Independence Campaign
• Election Candidate Fielding
• Scottish Government Administration

Quantifiable outcome

• Free university tuition maintained as policy
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration17 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• European Free Alliance (EFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SNP is a member of the European Free Alliance (EFA), a collection of political parties from across Europe fighting for self-determination. SNP MEP Alyn Smith was elected President of the EFA Group in the European Parliament. EFA campaigns for rights of stateless nations including self-determination, linguistic justice, gender equality, and social justice.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• UK Labour Party: UK Labour is the parent party of Scottish Labour and the SNP's main rival at Westminster. Comparable as a UK-wide membership-funded political party with overlapping policy positions, but operates at a much larger scale and in different elections (Westminster vs Holyrood).
• Liberal Democrats (UK): The UK Liberal Democrats are the parent party of the Scottish Lib Dems and a Westminster-facing party sharing the SNP's pro-EU, devolution-supporting posture. Comparable in policy positioning and membership model but operating UK-wide rather than Scotland-only.
• UK Conservative Party: The UK Conservatives are the parent party of the Scottish Conservatives and the SNP's principal opponent on the unionist side at Westminster. Comparable in Westminster presence, donor base, and electoral-cycle cadence, but at significantly larger national scale.

Direct peers

• Scottish Liberal Democrats: The Scottish Lib Dems contest the same Scottish Parliament list and constituency elections as the SNP and share the membership/donation funding model. Comparable as a smaller pro-devolution party operating in the same electoral market.
• Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party: The Scottish Conservatives are the main centre-right party contesting Scottish Parliament elections against the SNP, offering a unionist counter to SNP independence positioning. Directly comparable in constituency-level representation, Scottish Parliament group, and fundraising/donor base.
• Scottish Green Party: The Scottish Greens were a coalition partner of the SNP in the Scottish Government (2021-2024) and compete in the same Scottish Parliament elections, sharing pro-independence sympathisers. Comparable as a smaller parliamentary party with overlapping climate and social-justice policy ground.
• Scottish Labour: Scottish Labour is the principal centre-left competitor to the SNP in Scottish Parliament elections, contesting the same constituencies with overlapping policy ground (NHS, cost of living). Directly comparable in scale of organization, devolved-government track record, and reliance on Scottish voter base.

Regional players

• Plaid Cymru: Plaid Cymru is the principal pro-independence party in Wales, the SNP's closest ideological analogue within the UK. Comparable in constitutional aim (national self-determination), EFA membership, and devolved-legislature focus, but operating in a different national electorate.
• Sinn Féin: Sinn Féin is an Irish republican party pursuing a constitutional aim analogous to SNP independence (Irish reunification). Comparable as a nationalist, EFA-aligned, devolved/legislative-focused party, but operating in a separate national political market.
• Bloc Québécois: Bloc Québécois is a federal parliamentary party dedicated to Quebec sovereignty, the most direct international analogue to the SNP's pro-independence Westminster representation model. Comparable in single-issue constitutional positioning and regional-constituency focus, but in a Canadian federal context.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theSNP
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/TheSnp
• Facebookfacebook.com/theSNP
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thesnp
• Instagraminstagram.com/thesnp
• TikToktiktok.com/@thesnp

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Scottish National Party