Former Stirling Council boss Carol Beattie has become interim chief executive of the SNP with a bulging in-tray.
Ms Beattie’s temporary appointment was announced over the weekend following the resignation of Dundee-born Murray Foote after just over a year in the role.
With an internal re-organisation under way, Mr Foote said he was not able to commit to leading those changes into the 2026 Holyrood election.
We take a look at some of the immediate challenges facing Carol Beattie as she takes the helm.
Party funding
The SNP has struggled to raise cash from supporters and donors in recent years, often going lengthy periods with no significant support at all.
This was evident in the crucial closing stages of the general election campaign. Unlike every other major political party the nationalists did not attract a single donation.
Elections cost money. With the Scottish Parliament elections fast approaching, Ms Beattie will have no choice but to focus on building up the party’s depleted war chest.
A slump in support
Ms Beattie – who stood down from Stirling Council in May – will arrive at SNP HQ fresh from a by-election defeat as the party’s candidate in Falkirk South.
She came second to Scottish Labour’s Claire Aitken.
The SNP’s share of first preference votes in the ward was down 10 points, while Scottish Labour moved from third place in 2022 and saw it’s share of the vote jump by eight points.
It should crystallise the scale of the challenge facing the SNP if Labour’s resurgence continues.
Seat wars
The risk of yellow on yellow attacks is likely to grow as jostling gets under way for constituency seats ahead of the Holyrood elections.
And the competition could be fierce after so many SNP MPs lost their jobs at the general election and could be eyeing a move to Holyrood at the expense of a sitting MSP.
This will be especially true in areas where Scottish Parliament hopefuls are less sure of their prospects and will be vying for a spot high on the regional list.
Candidates will also have to be vetted in the hope potentially embarrassing stories can be avoided.
Ms Beattie and the eventual full-time replacement for Mr Foote will be ultimately responsible for overseeing what could prove to be a complex selection process.
Operation Branchform
The long-running police probe into the SNP’s finances continues to rumble on with no apparent end in sight.
One of Carol Beattie’s predecessors, Peter Murrell, has been charged with embezzlement.
His wife, former first minister and SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon, was also arrested alongside party treasurer Colin Beattie were both arrested – though both were later released.
Party strategists are all too aware the case could develop at any minute and Carol Beattie may be tasked with navigating potentially risky waters.
Conversation