Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government
Jenny Gilruth MSP was appointed Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government in May 2026.
Responsibilities
To be updated.
Supporting Ministers
Biography
Brought up and educated in Fife, Jenny Gilruth is a graduate of Glasgow University, where she studied Politics and Sociology, and of Strathclyde University where she studied for her Postgraduate in Secondary Education (Modern Studies).
Prior to being elected in 2016, Ms Gilruth worked for over a decade in education, most recently as a Head of Department in a Fife secondary school.
Prior to that, she worked at Education Scotland as NQ lead for Modern Studies, supporting the development of the new qualifications and also as a Modern Studies teacher.
Ms Gilruth was first elected to represent the Mid Fife and Glenrothes constituency at the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.
She was previously the Minister for Europe and International Development, Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development and Minister for Transport. Ms Gilruth was Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills from March 2023 until being appointed to her current role.
- Read more about Jenny Gilruth on the Scottish Parliament website.