John Swinney to give speech after being elected SNP leader – BBC News

It’s been a busy day for politics on a dreich May Day bank holiday in Scotland – and there’s more to come.

As we’ve been reporting since lunchtime, John Swinney has moved a step closer to becoming Scotland’s seventh first minister after being confirmed as the new SNP leader.

He’s due to give his acceptance speech in about 10 minutes, at 15:00 BST, and afterwards he’ll face questions from reporters.

We’ll bring you live text updates – but you can also watch live by tapping the Play button at the top of this page.

John Swinney is safely over the first couple of fences of his second canter around the SNP leadership course.

First, the Perthshire North MSP saw off a challenge from potential rival Kate Forbes, after lavishing the former finance secretary with praise and offering her a job. He then negotiated a second hurdle in persuading veteran party activist Graeme McCormick not to stand either, after a conversation which McCormick described as “lengthy and fruitful”.

Next, Swinney must win election as the Scottish Parliament’s nominee for first minister. That seems assured, with the Scottish Greens likely to back him, or at least to abstain, in the vote at Holyrood – which could come as soon as Tuesday.

Then, once he has been appointed by the King and sworn in at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, the going may become tougher.

Public services are struggling, money is tight, and the polls suggest many voters are deserting the SNP in favour of a resurgent Labour Party.

The SNP is also bedevilled by rows about a variety of issues – from gender, to the climate, to housing. And all this with a general election looming this year, and a Holyrood election in 2026.

Swinney has already indicated that to tackle these issues, his first task must be to get a grip of his party’s reins, telling me bluntly: “We’re not operating as a unified team.”

Humza Yousaf, the outgoing SNP leader, has congratulated John Swinney on X.

The post by Yousaf, who is expected to formally resign as first minister on Tuesday, reads:

Quote Message: John’s central message has been one of unity. As a party, we must heed his call, whatever has happened in the past should remain there. Let’s get behind John & his team so they can deliver for Scotland.”

In a video message accompanying the post, he says Swinney has been a “fantastic friend” over the years and he can continue to count on Yousaf’s friendship and support from the backbenches.

He adds that now, “more than ever before”, is a time to “unite so we can take our message of independence to every single doorstep in Scotland”.

Copyright: Getty Images

John Swinney joined Alex Salmond’s first government as finance secretary in 2007.

He would stay in the job for the next nine years, also taking on the position of deputy first minister when Nicola Sturgeon succeeded Alex Salmond in 2014.

He took over the education brief in 2016 while remaining Sturgeon’s deputy.

His time in office as education secretary was not without its problems. He was particularly criticised for falling standards in science and maths. He survived two votes of no confidence, one in 2020 and the other a year later.

Just two months after the second vote he was appointed to head the Scottish government’s response to Covid.

And until Humza Yousaf resigned, that looked like being his final job in government. Just after Ms Sturgeon stood down in February 2023, he announced that he too was going, returning to the backbenches after 16 years as a cabinet secretary.

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John Swinney was elected to Westminster in 1997 and to the first Scottish Parliament two years later. He was a close ally of then-SNP leader Alex Salmond.

When Salmond stepped down in 2000, Swinney was elected as his successor.

His own time as leader, however, was not seen as a success. The early years of devolution were a surprisingly unhappy time for the party.

The Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition seemed to quell the SNP, which lost seats in the 2003 Holyrood election and European elections the following year.

Swinney resigned as SNP leader in 2004, after four years in the job.

Read more here.

The party had been defying political gravity – winning elections comfortably despite being in power for 15 years.

Nicola Sturgeon’s departure called that into question and polls have tightened considerably. Labour think they have a chance of becoming Scotland’s biggest party at the general election.

So what does Swinney do to that dynamic?

Well, as my colleague David and I wrote this weekend, some opposition figures do think he’ll help steady the ship. At least a bit.

Senior opposition figures admit privately that he’s likely to do a better job than Humza Yousaf.

But – and there’s a big but – the SNP do have a lot of challenges. A police investigation into party funding, internal divisions, criticism over some public services in Scotland which they control.

There’s little doubt Swinney has a tough job ahead of him.

In about an hour’s time, we’re due to hear from John Swinney, who’s been announced as the new leader of the SNP – and is likely to become the next first minister of Scotland.

Before then, here’s what you need to know:

• Swinney was confirmed as the new SNP leader about 15 minutes after nominations closed today – the party said he was the sole candidate to have run

• The former deputy first minister is expected to be nominated by MSPs as first minister as early as tomorrow
• In a post on X, he said he was “deeply honoured” and would “give all that I have to serve my party and my country”
• Current first minister Humza Yousaf – who announced his resignation last week – has joined many others in congratulating Swinney and calling on members of the SNP to get behind him
• For Swinney to be confirmed as Yousaf’s replacement, he’ll need to first win a vote in the Scottish Parliament – that can happen after Yousaf’s officially tendered his resignation to the King
• The Scottish Conservatives have already called on Swinney to abandon the SNP’s “relentless push for independence” while Labour have said he’s only there to “manage” the party rather than “running our country”
• The new SNP leader will give an acceptance speech from around 15:00 this afternoon, followed by questions from the press, all of which you can watch or follow live right here

We’ve more reaction for you now – this from the Scottish Labour Party, which says John Swinney’s “coronation” is about “managing the SNP rather than running our country and delivering for Scotland”.

Its leader, Anas Sarwar, says the new SNP leader “has been at the heart of this incompetent government for 17 years”, and hits out at what he calls Swinney’s record of “failure”.

He goes on:

Quote Message: This is a stitch up by a chaotic and dysfunctional party that is more interested in protecting its own interests than serving the interests of the people of Scotland.

Quote Message: The SNP must stop running scared and gives Scots a say in their next first minister by calling an election.”

The SNP MP for Stirling, Alyn Smith, has welcomed John Swinney’s victory in the leadership race.

He tells Radio Scotland’s Lunchtime Live that the new leader is “the right person for the right role at the moment”.

He adds: “I look forward to him uniting the party.

“My happiness is tempered by the scale of the task that we’ve got to do.

“We’ve got a lot of things we need to change about how the party has been operating lately.”

To watch Swinney’s acceptance speech live with us later, just click on the play button at the top of this page.

Copyright: PA Media

New SNP leader John Swinney is expected to become Scotland’s first minister in the coming days.

As head of the Scottish government, the first minister is responsible for the overall development, implementation and presentation of the administration’s policies.

He or she is also responsible for promoting and representing Scotland at home and overseas.

Subject to parliament’s agreement, the first minister appoints other ministers – including a deputy first minister and cabinet secretaries – from among Holyrood’s MSPs.

The first minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet, the main forum for ministers to consider and make key decisions on the strategic priorities and policies of the government to achieve its objectives.

When he resigned from the role last week, current FM Humza Yousaf said he would stay in place until his successor was confirmed.

John Swinney inherits a minority government from predecessor Humza Yousaf – meaning he will need the support of opposition MSPs to pass legislation.

He will have to prioritise cross-party consensus, strike deals with different parties on a case-by-case basis, make concessions, and accept defeat on certain issues.

Minority governments are not uncommon in Scottish politics. Several previous SNP governments, including ones in which Swinney served, have been minority administrations.

In a piece for The National yesterday, Swinney cited his “unique experience of governing as a minority party”. He added that he was “the person best-placed… to deliver serious, steady government”.

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John Swinney must remain committed to progressive policies that tackle the climate crisis to earn the support of the Scottish Greens, says the party’s co-leader.

“The next Scottish government will face an important choice,” Patrick Harvie says in a statement.

“Will they offer a progressive vision for Scotland’s future, or will they retreat toward the tepid middle ground, which would force them to rely on the Tories and other pro-union parties?”

Harvie says the Greens remain “utterly committed” to policies on their way to delivery as a result of the scrapped Bute House Agreement – and “will oppose any move away from them or steps to dilute them”.

He says the party’s seven MSPs will meet shortly to discuss how they will vote in the ballot for first minister.

The SNP leadership campaign’s been a short, sharp affair – and it’s already shown John Swinney’s skill in horse trading.

That’s something he’ll need in spades if he’s to run a minority government.

Swinney only launched his bid on Thursday and within four hours he’d sewn up the contest, when Kate Forbes gave him her backing.

He’d dangled a juicy carrot to tempt her – a senior Cabinet role, and an assurance they share the same agenda.

But some SNP activists wanted a contest, not a coronation.

And one, the veteran campaigner Graeme McCormick had rustled up enough supporters to force a leadership contest.

That threatened to delay the party but Swinney soon put an end to that challenge.

After talks between the pair, McCormick declared his backing for Swinney.

So a pattern’s emerging – with Swinney doing deals right, left and centre.

Who can he bring round next?

Once he’s FM, he’ll need the support of the Greens to pass new laws and budgets.

Expect informal discussions with them to begin soon.

And other small parties – the Lib-Dems and Alba – will be eyeing a chance to trade their votes for influence, issue by issue.

Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross congratulates John Swinney on his election. But he urges the SNP leader to abandon his “relentless push for independence”.

“As the main opposition party, we will hold John Swinney to account when he lets the Scottish people down – just as we’ve done with Humza Yousaf,” he says.

The Tory leader adds: “It’s difficult to see how he can be the fresh start Scotland needs when he’s the ultimate continuity candidate.”

He says Swinney was “joined at the hip” with Nicola Sturgeon and that “his fingerprints are all over her numerous policy failures and cover-ups”.

Just last Monday, Humza Yousaf announced he was standing down as Scotland’s first minister. Today, John Swinney was named as his replacement.

Here’s a brief look at how we ended up here:

• Humza Yousaf succeeded Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader and first minister in March 2023, defeating rivals Kate Forbes and Ash Regan
• But in April, he announced that he was ending a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens, leaving him short of support for the minority SNP government
• This sparked motions of no confidence in Yousaf and his government, and led to his announcement that he was standing down

• His resignation triggered a leadership contest, from which Swinney emerged as the only candidate
• Swinney will face a vote at Holyrood later this week, where it is likely he will be confirmed as first minister

New SNP leader John Swinney will deliver an acceptance speech in Glasgow at about 15:00 today. He is expected to take questions from the media.

Stick with us and we’ll bring you the entire proceedings live, as well as reports and analysis.

Copyright: Reuters

John Swinney has been declared the new SNP leader. He will now seek parliamentary approval to become first minister when Humza Yousaf tenders his resignation to King Charles.

The vote in the Scottish Parliament requires the support of a simple majority of 65 MSPs.

The SNP has 63 seats – two short of a majority. But the vote is likely to pass because the Greens, with seven MSPs, have indicated they will not block Swinney’s appointment.

If Swinney wins the vote, he will be appointed first minister by the King.

A swearing-in ceremony at the Court of Session in Edinburgh could take place as early as Wednesday.

At that point, he will officially become Scottish first minister.

Read more here.

John Swinney has just tweeted for the first time since being confirmed as the new leader of the SNP – and likely to be next Scottish first minister.

He writes:

Quote Message: I am deeply honoured to have been elected as leader of the SNP. I will give all that I have to serve my party and my country.

We’re expecting to see a raft of reaction now, so stay with us for that.

This will be the second time that John Swinney has led the SNP.

His election marks a remarkable turnaround, 20 years after he stood down from a difficult period in the top seat.

For many in the SNP – particularly those who have been in the movement for a long time – John Swinney embodies what they think of as core SNP values.

They see him as trustworthy, hard-working and loyal. He is a favourite at the party conference and his admirers recognise in him a burning desire for independence.

Edinburgh born and bred, the 60-year-old has something of the traditional Scottish banker about him, and spent five years working for Scottish Amicable Life Assurance before winning the Tayside North seat at Westminster in 1997.

But by then he was already a party veteran, having joined in 1979 aged just 15.

Read more here.

John Swinney has been elected unopposed as the SNP’s new leader and is set to become the next Scottish first minister.

The SNP has confirmed that he was the sole candidate to take over from Humza Yousaf, who announced his resignation last week.