Swinney Takes on ‘Extraordinary Opportunity’ as Scotland’s New First Minister

John Swinney after speaking to the media after he is sworn in as first minister of Scotland and keeper of the Scottish Seal at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, Scotland, on May 8, 2024. Andrew Milligan/PA

John Swinney, the new leader of the SNP, has been sworn in as Scotland’s first minister, describing it as an “extraordinary opportunity.”

On Monday Mr. Swinney became leader of the SNP and he was nominated as first minister after a parliamentary vote on Tuesday in which seven Green MSPs abstained.

He was backed by the 63 SNP MSPs and Ash Regan from the Alba Party.

Scotland’s most senior judge, the Lord President Lord Carloway, presided over the ceremony at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Wednesday morning.

Mr. Swinney, 60, made his statutory declarations and became first minister and keeper of the Scottish Seal.

Afterwards he said, “It’s an extraordinary opportunity to change lives for the better and I’ll continue to use every moment that’s available to me to do so.”

Kate Forbes Appointed Deputy First Minister

He is due to unveil his full Cabinet later and his first appointment was that of Kate Forbes as deputy first minister.

Ms. Forbes was finance secretary under former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon but pulled out of the leadership contest to succeed her in March 2023 because she is a member of the Free Church of Scotland and her religious views were out of kilter with the SNP’s views on gender identity.

Mr. Swinney’s wife Elizabeth, brother David, and 13-year-old son Matthew were at the ceremony and he said it had been an “overwhelming moment.”

He said, “I look forward to dedicating my future to serving the people of Scotland.”

“For my family this is a very abrupt change of our circumstances. We didn’t think this would happening about 10 days ago,” added Mr. Swinney, who became the frontrunner for the leadership after Humza Yousaf suddenly resigned on April 29.

Mr. Swinney led the SNP between 2000 and 2004 but the party’s electoral success came under his successors Alex Salmond and Ms. Sturgeon.

The Perthshire North MSP becomes the seventh person to be first minister since the introduction of devolution 25 years ago.

The first three were from the Labour Party and the other four—Mr. Salmond, Ms. Sturgeon, Mr. Yousaf, and now Mr. Swinney—were from the SNP.

Mr. Swinney became the leader of the SNP after a hardliner, Graeme McCormick, decided against challenging him.

Some hardliners have called for the SNP to hold a second independence referendum without Westminster’s support, in a similar way to Catalonia’s referendum in Spain, and at last year’s party conference Mr. McCormick called Mr. Yousaf’s position “flatulence in a trance.”

Before unveiling his new Cabinet on Wednesday, Mr. Swinney said, “It’s important that I have a Cabinet that brings together the strengths and talents of the Scottish National Party, a Cabinet that can work constructively and collaboratively with Parliament and with other parties to ensure our agenda can be taken forward.”

Kate Forbes arrives for talks with First Minister John Swinney at Bute House in Edinburgh, Scotland, on May 8, 2024. Jane Barlow/PA

After her appointment, Ms. Forbes issued a statement in which she said, “I am deeply honoured to accept John’s invitation to be his deputy first minister.”

“This is a moment of extraordinary privilege for me. Having previously served in Cabinet, I know the duty that all ministers have to reflect the Government’s priorities and the missions that drive them,” she added.

Ms. Forbes said, “I look forward to working with John and Cabinet colleagues, delivering for the people of Scotland and building a better country.”

In 2023 Forbes Said Scottish Politics Was ‘Illiberal’

Last year when it was revealed Ms. Forbes’s religious views and opposition to same sex marriage led to a political backlash, she said it raised a “fascinating question” about the meaning of liberalism in Scotland.

She told STV at the time, “Have we become so illiberal that we cannot have these discussions or some people are beyond the pale?”

“Because if some people are beyond the pale, then those are dark and dangerous days for Scotland,” added Ms. Forbes.

Earlier this week Labour’s leader in Scotland, Anas Sarwar, said: “At a time when Scotland is crying out for change, the SNP is offering more of the same. John Swinney has been at the heart of this incompetent government for 17 years and at the heart of the SNP for 40 years.”

The latest opinion polls suggest Labour and the SNP are neck and neck with a general election due later this year, and it is predicted Labour could gain back a number of seats it lost to the SNP between 2015 and 2019.

The next elections to the Scottish Parliament are not until 2026.

PA Media contributed to this report.