The Scottish Parliament has nominated John Swinney as First Minister of Scotland, following the recent election.
In the May 7 election, Swinney’s SNP won a fifth successive Scottish Parliament election with 58 seats — but fell short of the 65 seats required for an overall majority at 129-member Holyrood.
Labour and Reform finished a distant second, tied on 17 seats. The Scottish Greens won 15 seats, including their first ever constituency victories.
The Conservatives experience their worst ever Scottish Parliament election result to finish with 12 seats. The Liberal Democrats won 10 seats.
The results meant there is a majority of parties at Holyrood who support Scottish independence, with the SNP and the Greens controlling 73 of the 129 seats.
Following the election of SNP veteran Kenneth Gibson as presiding officer, the SNP cohort has been cut to 57 MSPs — eight short of a majority.
Addressing the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday, Swinney outlined his ambitions for the parliamentary term, including action to tackle the cost of living, improve the NHS and grow the economy to create opportunity across Scotland.
He also pledged to work together to deliver progress for Scotland and to meet the challenges facing the country.
Swinney is now expected to be formally appointed with a Royal Warrant from King Charles. He will be 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.
Swinney said: “I have ambitious goals for this Parliamentary session. I want to ease the cost of living crisis, ensure the NHS is protected and easy to access, ensure cohesion in our communities and protect the environment, and grow the economy and create opportunity across our country.
“I believe I can achieve a majority for every ambition I have for this Parliament and I look forward to working with many here to do so. That, of course, includes the question of Scotland’s constitutional future on which I recognise there are profound differences of opinion. Indeed the people have now elected the largest pro-independence majority in the history of devolution.
“I will be a First Minister for all of Scotland. A First Minister that works to bring people together with a strong sense of national purpose. The country I seek to build is a country where everyone feels accepted and able to contribute to our national story.
“I gratefully accept this opportunity to serve as First Minister. It is the greatest privilege and the greatest responsibility of my life. I promise to work every day to repay the trust that the people of Scotland have placed in me.”
REACTION:
Mark Kent, Chief Executive of the Scotch Whisky Association: “We welcome the new government’s manifesto commitment to set up a National Council for Economic Growth and we look forward to collaborating with them to boost our sector’s contribution to Scotland’s economy.
“With Scotch Whisky accounting for three quarters of Scottish food and drink exports and supporting over 40,000 jobs throughout Scotland, it’s crucial that Scotch Whisky and its wide-reaching and complex supply chain are supported with a strong, competitive business environment here at home as we look to the future.
“The SWA and our member companies are committed to working with the First Minister and his government to deliver our shared priorities and ensure our industry can grow, invest and thrive in communities across the country.”