John Swinney to be sworn in as First Minister ahead of Cabinet announcement

John Swinney will be sworn in as Scotland’s new First Minister at the Court of Session today after he was formally elected to the job by MSPs yesterday.

He becomes the seventh First Minister in the 25-year history of the Scottish Parliament. And this afternoon he is expected to announce his new Cabinet, with a key role anticipated for former Finance Secretary Kate Forbes who decided not to challenge him for the SNP leadership when Humza Yousaf announced he was standing down just over a week ago.

Mr Swinney told MSPs yesterday that when he left government as Deputy First Minister in March last year, he believed that would be his last senior political office and it was “something of a surprise” to find himself now First Minister. But he said it was “an extraordinary privilege” and promised to do “the best that I can for Scotland”.

John Swinney, with his wife Elizabeth Quigley, on the steps of Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister. Picture: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire

He said the parliament was “not the collaborative place that it has been in the past” but he committed his government to working to create the kind of cross-party agreement which had led to landmark legislation like the ban on smoking in public places, minimum unit pricing and free bus travel for under-22s.

He reiterated his belief in independence. But he continued: “The question that we face in the parliament today, however, is the more practical one of whether our disagreement on the constitution prevents us from working collaboratively within the existing powers of the parliament to eradicate child poverty, build the economy, support jobs, address the cost of living crisis, improve the health service and tackle the climate crisis. I will give all my energy and willingness to engage and listen in order to ensure that that is not the case, and I invite others to do the same.

"To the people of Scotland, I say simply this: I offer myself to be the First Minister for everyone in Scotland. I am here to serve you. I will give everything that I have to build the best future for our country.”