John Swinney fired a parting shot at SNP troublemakers

John Swinney, who announced this week he is to step down, urged the party to be wary of attempts to "corrode" it.

Addressing the SNP's national council in Stirling, his last speech to a major party gathering as leader, he said he had unfortunately become the issue.

Three hundred activists gave Mr Swinney a standing ovation before his speech.

He said: "My decision to step down from the leadership came about because I had become the issue.

Something had to give and that was me John Swinney

"Crucially, in my judgement, I believed the speculation would go on and on, and would undermine the party's prospects.

"Nothing that I have ever done in my political life would be allowed to undermine this party's electoral prospects.

"I judge that the party would suffer if I continued in office. In short, something had to give and that was me."

He went on: "We as a party have enough problems with the media without the willing assistance of a very small but vocal minority in the party helping the media with the task of undermining the party and its democratically elected leader."

Mr Swinney continued: "The small and vocal minority must understand this - our leader is democratically elected and once democratically elected, our leader should be supported by every single member."

Make sure that those people who put their personal interests above the party's interests are brought down not a peg or two but a good number of pegs John Swinney

The outgoing leader was loudly applauded - but he told his audience he wanted action, not applause.

"I want you to do something about it - to make sure that those people who put their personal interests above the party's interests are brought down not a peg or two but a good number of pegs," he said.

Mr Swinney, delivering what some commentators judged the best political speech of his career, went on to tell his audience: "You know who they are, I know who they are.

"Let's make sure they don't corrode the SNP and thwart our campaign for independence."

Defending his gradualist strategy on independence, he argued: "We must become the government of Scotland to deliver independence from a position of government."

Mr Swinney went on to make a passionate argument of the merits of Scottish independence, ending his speech by quoting from the Declaration of Arbroath, the historic assertion of Scottish independence in 1320.

He said people had asked him why he had endured the rigors of the leadership role.

And quoting from the declaration, he said: "I did it not for glory nor riches nor honour but for freedom and freedom alone."

Leadership hopefuls

Leadership contenders Nicola Sturgeon and Roseanna Cunningham have announced that they would stand for the leadership after Mr Swinney said on Tuesday that he will quit the post in September.

Saturday's meeting was the first chance for party members to buttonhole the candidates and question them on the future direction of the party.

Ms Cunningham and Ms Sturgeon said they would begin laying out their visions for the party over the next few weeks.

SNP MSPs Fergus Ewing and Kenny MacAskill have announced they will be making pitches for the deputy's post.

Christine Grahame is standing for deputy leader

Before Mr Swinney's speech, South of Scotland MSP Christine Grahame announced her intention of standing for the deputy leadership.

She said: "I think we require to have the broadest possible debate in the party.

"That is why I'm putting my hat in the ring."

Ms Grahame, 59, said she also wanted to raise the profile of the one million pensioners in Scotland whose ranks she will join in September.

"That one million is more than all the primary and secondary children put together, and an independent Scotland will look after that one million," she said.

Nationalist party member's will be watching to see if the party's old warhorses, Alex Neil and Mike Russell, will decide to stand.

The contest will be decided on a one-member-one-vote basis.

Nominations close on 16 July and the result will be announced on Friday 3 September.