Scottish Ministerial Code: 2025 Edition

Foreword by the First Minister

Serving as the First Minister of Scotland is an extraordinary privilege. I stood for election into this office because I care deeply about Scotland’s future and I am here to serve everyone in Scotland and to give everything I have to build the best future for our country.

As First Minister I am committed to public service. My Ministers are committed to public service. I want my government to embody the values and principles that these positions demand, and to set the very highest standards of propriety and integrity – standards that the people in Scotland rightly expect and deserve.

Unlocking the potential of all that Scotland has to offer is at the heart of what my government is about. The priorities of this government – to eradicate child poverty, to grow our economy, to tackle the climate crisis and to improve public services – are best served, only served, if we work together. Collaboration is not only important, it is essential. That is why I strive, and my government strives, to build consensus and to work together across sectors, across disciplines, across cultures, and across our Parliament.

Trust must be at the heart of those relationships and at the heart of my government’s relationship with the people of Scotland. The issues we are now facing together are complex, pervasive and entrenched. We must maintain enough hope and energy to work together, to understand the root causes and the complexity of problems. And to find the right solutions.

This Code sets out the standards that I expect of my Ministers and that the people of Scotland deserve of its leaders. It enshrines the commitment we all make to uphold the Seven Principles of Public Life and to adhere to the values and the principles of service.

The changes I introduced with the publication of the 2024 edition of this Code marked the most fundamental developments to the Code since the introduction of Independent Advisers in 2008 and were furthered by my appointing three new Advisers into the role. I also published their Terms of Reference for the first time, that set out the detail of their strengthened role and the process of independent scrutiny and advice that they can provide to me. This 2025 edition of the Code reflects that my Independent Advisers will also now provide the advice to former Ministers on the acceptance of business appointments after they have left Ministerial office^[1].

I don’t believe in trying to solve problems from the top down. I believe in working together to lay the foundations for lasting improvements to our country, our economy, and our society. It is my hope that government can respond with honour and generosity to the responsibilities we hold and in doing so restore trust in those partnerships and in the privilege of public service.

Rt Hon John Swinney MSP

First Minister of Scotland