The SNP is bracing itself for a tough conference following defeat in May's Scottish elections and a challenge to the party's leader.

As delegates arrived in Inverness for the party conference, John Swinney appealed for support.

The calls comes ahead of this weekend's leadership election and a tough week for the SNP chief.

Several MSPs have announced that they will either vote for stalking horse candidate, Dr Bill Wilson, or abstain.

Whilst Swinney will top the poll, signs of growing unease at his leadership could scupper his chances of leading the party into the next Holyrood election.

Speaking as delegates arrived in Inverness he appealed for unity and warned that the party ran the risk of arguing its way into oblivion.

"This conference must see our party settle once and for all our repetitive arguments over strategy," he said.

"Delegates face a democratic choice and I am confident in their judgement.

"It falls to them to decide whether we drive forward to independence or consign ourselves to the fringes."

Swinney warned his membership against shifting to either the left or the right.

"The core thing for the SNP is that we have to recognise that while there has been this internal debate over the summer, we have to draw a line under it next Saturday so that we can start campaigning in the communities of Scotland on the issues that matter to them," he said earlier this week.

"Endless internal bickering is not going to enable the SNP to do that. We have to draw a line and we have to start campaigning vigorously for Scottish independence.

"The key step in getting to where we want to be is for us to come to a conclusion at the end of the conference of giving me a reinvigorated mandate to lead the SNP to focus on making the case for independence.

"That is the route for electoral success of the SNP."

Swinney said that he would stand firm in representing the "political mainstream".

"I am not going to take the SNP off to compete with the SSP on outlandish and unsustainable policies," he said.

"I am not going to compete with the Conservatives on a right-of-centre political agenda."