John Swinney has expressed confidence that he will cling onto power in the 2026 Holyrood election after Sir Keir Starmer’s calamitous first 100 days in office resulted in Labour’s poll ratings sliding.

       The First Minister said he was “very optimistic” that the SNP would win the election for a fifth term in office, noting with a smile that Labour’s opening months in power at Westminster had not been “plain sailing”.

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       Labour was confident of winning power at Holyrood following July’s general election, in which it routed the SNP, winning 37 of the 57 Westminster seats in Scotland.

       But there is concern among senior figures at the top of the Scottish party that the freebies scandal, combined with fury over the cut to the winter fuel payment, will cost it victory in May 2026.

       A poll published earlier this week found the 11-point lead Labour held over the Tories in the election has been reduced to a single point. Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, conceded this week that Sir Keir’s government had suffered “teething problems”.

       The Prime Minister held the inaugural meeting in Edinburgh on Friday of his Council of Nations and Regions, which was attended by the three first ministers and the regional mayors from England. Sir Keir also held bilateral talks with Mr Swinney.

       Asked if Sir Keir’s opening 100 days in power had made him optimistic about performing well in the Holyrood election, Mr Swinney said: “I’m very optimistic that we can perform well in 2026. I’m very, very optimistic about that. We’re setting about doing that as we speak.”

       Pressed whether Labour’s opening months in office had made him more confident, the First Minister said: “Let’s just say I don’t think the first 100 days have been plain sailing. Let me put it that way.”

       Senior ministers, including the Prime Minister, have also been mired in a donations row, including clothing gifts worth tens of thousands of pounds.

       Sir Keir has since said he will pay back the ￡6,000 cost of gifts he received, including six Taylor Swift tickets and a clothing rental agreement with a designer used by his wife, Victoria.

       Although control over the winter fuel allowance is devolved to Holyrood, SNP ministers have argued that they had no choice but to follow the Chancellor’s decision to means-test the payment south of the Border.

       However, Labour managed to hold two seats on the North Lanarkshire council after winning by-elections triggered by two of its councillors being elected MPs in July.

       Mr Sarwar said: “These victories show that Scots are backing Scottish Labour to stand up for their communities and to deliver the change that Scotland needs.

       “Across Scotland, people are desperate for change. At the general election, we got rid of one incompetent government but there is still so much more work to do to get rid of the incompetent SNP government in Holyrood.”