New First Minister nominated

John Swinney has been nominated as the seventh First Minister of Scotland, following a vote in the Scottish Parliament today. 

MSPs voted 64 to 57 to select Mr Swinney as First Minister from a total of four nominees. There were seven abstentions.

Mr Swinney is anticipated to be formally appointed as First Minister this afternoon with a Royal Warrant from His Majesty King Charles III. He will be officially sworn in at the Court of Session on Wednesday, where he will take the Official Oath in front of the Lord President of the Court of Session and other senior judges. 

First Minister-designate John Swinney said:

“It is an extraordinary privilege and it is my honour to accept the office of First Minister, committing myself to do the best I can for Scotland.

“I will be unapologetic about bringing to this Parliament the measures we can take to eradicate child poverty and I look forward to seeking the support of others to achieve that aim. I recognise, that is how it is going to have to work. I am leading a minority Government. I will need to reach out to others to make things happen. If we want to fund our schools and our hospitals, if we want to give our businesses a competitive edge, if we want to take climate action, if we want to eradicate child poverty, if we want to change people’s lives for the better, we have to work together to do so.

“I commit my Government to working to create that agreement across the Chamber. I hope there is the space and the willingness for that to happen in the interests of the people who sent us here.

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

Background

John Swinney MSP accepts nomination as First Minister of Scotland