The Scottish National party’s depute leader has denied that a party activist was “leaned on” to pull out of the leadership race against John Swinney. The party’s depute leader, Keith Brown, said Graeme McCormick’s last-minute decision on Sunday night not to stand against Swinney was proof the party was united and focused on delivering independence. Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Brown said Swinney’s emergence last week as the person expected to succeed Humza Yousaf as first minister after the collapse of the SNP’s coalition deal with the Greens had led to a bounce among voters. Swinney’s coronation as leader appeared assured after he persuaded his most potent rival, Kate Forbes, not to stand. “We have people out canvassing and they’ve reported already an increase in positive turnout coming back from those canvassing sessions. So there’s been an immediate lift from the discussions, which John Swinney has had first of all with Kate Forbes and it now appears Graeme McCormick,” Brown said. McCormick, a serial rebel who told the party’s conference last year that the SNP’s independence strategy was “flatulence in a trance”, had initially told his allies he wanted to stop Swinney winning the leadership unopposed. McCormick had claimed over the weekend he would secure the 100 nominations needed to stand before the noon deadline on Monday after approaching activists at an All Under One Banner pro-independence rally on Saturday. Late on Sunday evening, he announced he had pulled out, after a “lengthy and fruitful conversation” with Swinney. “John and I agreed the challenges which the SNP, our government and our people face, and explored new thinking on a range of issues which I am confident, as they are advanced, will inspire activists both within the SNP and wider independence movement in the following weeks and months,” McCormick said. Brown said Swinney’s persuasiveness was evidence of his ability to bring different parts of the party together. “I don’t think ‘lean on him’ is true,” Brown said. “We’ve seen repeated references to stitch-up, some backroom deals and coronations and so on, and also the idea of a contest, it can’t be just a contest of ideas. It’s got to be divisive. That’s not the case. “What you’ve seen, as has been reported, is discussions taking place from somebody who wants to stand for leadership, John Swinney, positive discussions with other people in the party, the party coming together in a way that it hasn’t done for some months, and looking very positive and united.”