The SNP formed in 1934 when the National Party of Scotland and the Scottish Party united. The National Party founded in 1928, a merger of the Scottish Home Rule Association, Scottish National Movement, Scots National League and Glasgow University Student Nationalists Association.

A key figure in the National Party of Scotland was John MacCormick with strong Independent Labour Party leanings.

As secretary of the National Party of Scotland he could ignore the right wing and gradualist Scottish Party, which was headed by the Duke of Montrose, Sir Alexander MacEwan.

The Party’s 1935 general election was terrible with only Inverness and MacEwan in the Hebridees achieving respectable results. In by-elections, the results varied from 31% in the Scottish Universities seat, to 6.8% in Dumbarton in 1936.