John Swinney is set to officially assume the role of Scotland’s newest first minister on Wednesday following a successful nomination vote on Tuesday, held by the members of the Scottish Parliament in Holyrood. Mr Swinney, who takes over the reins from Humza Yousaf, was elected as the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) latest leader on Monday after running unopposed to replace the outgoing party chief. The change in leadership was precipitated by the former leader’s sudden departure last week, prompted by a vote of no confidence triggered by the opposition.
Tuesday saw Mr Yousaf tendering his official resignation to Britain’s King Charles, creating an opening for Mr Swinney’s nomination as the successor. The three unionist party leaders hailing from Scotland – representing the Conservatives, Labour and Liberal Democrats – also threw their hats into the ring for the position of first minister during a parliamentary vote. Despite falling two seats shy of a majority, it was Mr Swinney who secured the highest tally of votes, paving the way for his forthcoming appointment, scheduled for Wednesday morning at the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
Focus is anticipated to shift in the afternoon to potential Cabinet rearrangements, spearheaded by Mr Swinney. Speculation surrounds the return of Kate Forbes, the previous finance secretary, to a central role. Ms Forbes, recognised as a social conservative and considered one of SNP’s most competent politicians, had previously lost a leadership contest to Mr Yousaf. After much deliberation and discussion, she has supported Mr Swinney’s leadership and has been assured of a “significant role” in his administration.
Formerly the SNP leader two decades ago, experienced Mr Swinney has pledged to bring about unity in the party in the wake of contentious squabbles over the past 14 months since Nicola Sturgeon, earlier party leader now involved in a financial scandal, stepped down. This comes at a time when the SNP has encountered dwindling support in recent polls and Labour is making a comeback in the region north of the Scottish border with England.
Concluding a speech in Holyrood during the debate to confirm his nomination as the First Minister, Mr Swinney recognised the need for collaboration, acknowledging that moving forward, he would need to “reach out to others to make things happen” as the leader of a minority party.
He commended both the Labour and Liberal Democrats on Tuesday for their stewardship over Scotland during the early stages of devolution towards the culmination of the 1990s up to the beginning of the 2000s. The Conservative Party also received acclamation for their responsibility as the opposition party.
Hints emerged suggesting that Alba Party, a nationalist party under Alex Salmond’s leadership, may be ready to support him on particular matters. This suggestion came to light as Ash Regan, Alba party’s only parliament member, voted for Mr Swinney in the first minister vote.
Mr Yousaf terminated the earlier government collaboration with the Scottish Greens, a party which many SNP members accuse of swaying the government towards leftist policies, unpopular with a number of electorates. During the vote for first minister, the Scottish Greens chose to abstain. Nevertheless, they indicated that they might support Mr Swinney on distinct policies, evaluated individually.