John Swinney | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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_(cropped).jpg) Official portrait, 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First Minister of Scotland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 8 May 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Monarch | Charles III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Kate Forbes | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Humza Yousaf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Scottish National Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assumed office 6 May 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Keith Brown | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Humza Yousaf | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 26 September 2000 – 3 September 2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Roseanna Cunningham | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Alex Salmond | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Alex Salmond | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | John Ramsay Swinney (1964-04-13)13 April 1964 (age 61) Edinburgh, Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Party | Scottish National Party | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouses | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Children | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives | Tom Hunter (uncle) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Bute House | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alma mater | University of Edinburgh (MA) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Website | www First Minister of Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Cabinet positions (2007–2023)
First Minister of Scotland (2024–present)
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John Ramsay Swinney (born 13 April 1964) is a Scottish politician who has served asFirst Minister of Scotland since 2024. Swinney has served asLeader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) twice; between 2000 and 2004, and since 2024. He has held various roles within theScottish Cabinet from 2007 to 2023 under First MinistersAlex Salmond andNicola Sturgeon. Swinney wasMember of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) forNorth Tayside from 1999 to 2011 and, following boundary changes, has been MSP forPerthshire North since 2011. He wasMember of Parliament (MP) forTayside North from 1997 to 2001.
Born inEdinburgh, Swinney graduated with aMA in politics at theUniversity of Edinburgh. He joined the SNP at 15 years of age, and quickly rose to prominence by serving as theNational Secretary from 1986 to 1992 and asDepute Leader from 1998 to 2000. He served in theHouse of Commons as MP forTayside North from 1997 to 2001. He was elected to theinaugural Scottish Parliament at the1999 Scottish Parliament election. After Salmond resigned the party leadership in 2000, Swinney was elected at the2000 leadership election. He became Leader of the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament. The SNP lost one MP at the2001 general election and eight MSPs at the2003 Scottish Parliament election, despite theOfficegate scandal unseating the previousScottish Labour first minister,Henry McLeish. However, the only parties to gain seats in that election were theScottish Greens and theScottish Socialist Party (SSP) which, like the SNP, have supported independence. After an unsuccessfulchallenge to his leadership in 2003, and the party's unfavourable results at the2004 European Parliament election, Swinney resigned. Salmond returned to the role at the subsequent2004 leadership election.
From 2004 to 2007, Swinney was abackbencher. At the2007 Scottish Parliament election, the SNP won the highest number of seats, and Salmond was subsequently appointed first minister. Swinney served under Salmond asCabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth from 2007 to 2014. After Sturgeon succeeded Salmond, she appointed Swinney asDeputy First Minister in 2014. He also served asCabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy, until that role was divided into two posts in thesecond Sturgeon government as a result of theexpansion of the Scottish Parliament's financial powers; he was then appointedCabinet Secretary for Education and Skills in 2016, and then asCabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery in 2021. On 25 May 2022, Swinney became the longest serving Deputy First Minister, surpassing the previous record which was held by Sturgeon. Swinney served as Acting Finance and Economy Secretary in addition to his position of Covid Recovery Secretary from July 2022 to March 2023. In March 2023, he resigned from his senior positions in response to Sturgeon's resignation as first minister.
Swinney spent the duration ofHumza Yousaf'spremiership on the backbenches and served as a member of the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee. Following Yousaf'sresignation in April 2024, Swinney ran to succeed him at the2024 SNP leadership election and was elected unopposed. His earlypremiership saw the SNP lose 39 seats at the2024 United Kingdom general election, reducing the SNP to the second-largest party in Scotland and the fourth-largest party in theWestminster Parliament.
John Ramsay Swinney was born on 13 April 1964[1] in theWestern General Hospital, Edinburgh, the son of Kenneth Swinney, agarage manager,[2] and Agnes Weir Swinney (née Hunter).[3] His uncleTom Hunter was awarded theVictoria Cross whilst serving with theRoyal Marines during theSecond World War.[4] His maternal grandparents, Ramsey and Mary Hunter, were from England, having moved to Edinburgh in the 1920s.[5][6]
Swinney was educated atForrester High School, before attending theUniversity of Edinburgh, where he graduated with aMaster of Arts Honours degree in politics in 1986.[7] He was a research officer for the Scottish Coal Project from 1987 to 1988, a senior management consultant with Development Options from 1988 to 1992, and a strategic planning principal withScottish Amicable Life Assurance from 1992 to 1997.[8]
Swinney joined theScottish National Party (SNP) in 1979 at the age of 15,[9] citing his anger at the way in which Scotland had been portrayed by television commentators at theCommonwealth Games.[10] He quickly became a prominent figure in the party's youth wing, theYoung Scottish Nationalist, now known as theYoung Scots for Independence (YSI).[11] He served as the SNP's Assistant National Secretary, before becoming theNational Secretary in 1986, at the age of 22.[12]
At the1997 general election, he was elected asMember of Parliament (MP) for theTayside North constituency,[13] and in1999 he was elected to represent the same area at theScottish Parliament. He stood down as a Westminster MP at the2001 general election in order to avoid splitting his time, in line with all of his colleagues who found themselves in a similar dual mandate position.
In1999 Swinney was elected to the1st Scottish Parliament, representing theNorth Taysideconstituency.[14] In Salmond's opposition cabinet, he served as theSpokesman on Enterprise and Lifelong Learning. He also served on the Parliament's Finance Committee and was the Convener of the Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee.[15]
In 2000Alex Salmond resigned as leader of the SNP,[16][17] which triggered aleadership contest.[18][19] Swinney ran in the election againstAlex Neil.[20][21] The leadership contest was dominated by internal fights in the party betweenGradualists, who advocatedScottish devolution as step towardsindependence, andFundamentalists, who were suspicious of devolution and supported a more radical approach.[22][23] Swinney represented the gradualist wing and Neil represented the fundamentalists wing.[24][25] Whilst both candidates supported the position of the SNP on the centre-left, Neil was seen as the more left-wing of the two, and individuals associated with the Neil campaign argued that a Swinney leadership would drag the SNP to theright.[26][27][28]
Swinney won an overwhelming majority of votes by party delegates, securing 67.1% of votes.[29] He was appointed leader at the party's conference on 16 September 2000.Roseanna Cunningham, who endorsed Swinney in the leadership race, was elected Depute Leader.[30][31][32]
Swinney's leadership quickly came under challenge. His subdued style of debating technique was often contrasted with that of his more charismatic predecessor.[33] In 2002Dorothy-Grace Elder, the SNP MSP for theGlasgow region, resigned her party membership after coming dissatisfied with the leadership of the SNP. She sat as an independent MSP, but Swinney called for her resignation, describing her actions as a "flout [of] the democratic will of the people of Glasgow".[34]Margo MacDonald, a fundamentalist within the SNP, voiced her lack of confidence in Swinney's leadership. MacDonald was placed fifth in theLothians region for the2003 Parliament election in the SNP's candidate selection, effectively ending her chances of being re-elected as an SNP MSP.[35] In protest, she ran instead as an independent candidate and was later expelled from the party.[36]
In 2003 a former parliamentary candidate and a party activist in theShetland Islands Brian Nugent formed his own pro-independence party, the Scottish Party, which eventually relaunched itself as the Free Scotland Party, in response to what he perceived to be an overly pro-EU stance by the SNP.[37][38]
Swinney led the SNP through a poor election result at the2001 UK General election.[39] The party failed to take any of their target seats and saw the loss of one of their MPs, reducing their representation at Westminster from six to five. In thePerth constituency, theScottish Conservatives were 50 votes behind the SNP.[40][41] Although the SNP's vote share remained the second-largest party, behind Labour, their vote share fell by 2%.[42] Swinney's predecessor, Salmond, stated "consolidating as the second party in Scotland is no mean achievement" and highlighted it put the SNP in a good position for theupcoming Scottish Parliament election in 2003.[43] Following the results of the election, Swinney admitted there were "lessons to learn" and ensured the SNP would be the "principal opposition party in Scottish politics".[44]
In the 2003 election, the SNP performed poorly in yet another election, with the party's vote share dropping by 4.9%.[45] They lost eight of their seats they had gained in the previous election under the leadership of Salmond. Despite a poor result, this was also mirrored by theScottish Labour Party, who lost six MSPs and their vote share dropped by 4.2%.[46] The SNP remained the second-largest party atHolyrood. The decline in support for the SNP was viewed by some as a rejection of the case forScottish independence, however, the only parties which increased their representation in that election were theScottish Socialist Party (SSP) and theScottish Green Party, both of which also support independence.[47][48]
Following the results of the 2003 Scottish Parliament election,Bill Wilson, a party activist, became convinced that a change of direction was needed by the SNP leadership.[49] After discussing this with various SNP members, he was persuaded to contest the leadership himself andlaunched a challenge against Swinney.[50] Wilson ran a campaign attacking Swinney's proposals for party reform, which he claimed would centralise power and impoverish local branches. Wilson also challenged Swinney to a series of debates, although Swinney refused to take part.[51][52]
The election was yet another fight between the party'sfundamentalists and gradualists, with Wilson attacking Swinney's proposal for a referendum on independence before pursuing negotiations with the British government. Wilson argued that as soon as the SNP can form a government it should pursue negotiations to end the union.[53]
The election was held at the party's 69th annual conference, and saw Swinney winning a massive victory over Wilson.[54] Moves in support of Wilson's proposition of pursuing independence negotiations without a referendum were thrown out at the party conference, and Swinney won significant policy battles over imposing a monthly levy on party MPs, MSPs, and MEPs. In a surprise result, the new central membership system was also approved.[55] The membership changes had been a key issue of attack from Wilson.[53] Soon afterwards, the party's National Executive Committee decided to suspend and then expelCampbell Martin. He had backed Wilson's leadership challenge and had continued to be overtly critical of Swinney's leadership, resulting in disciplinary action.[56] This was the last SNP election to use the delegate voting method. Future elections would be based on a one-person-one-vote postal vote system.[57]
In September 2003 he urged SNP activists to ask the public, "Do you want independence, yes or no? And then tell the Brits to get off." A spokesman for Scottish Labour condemned Swinney's use of language and said, "There is no place in Scotland for his brand of extreme nationalism."[58]
Though retaining its two seats at the2004 European elections, in a smaller field of 7 (Scotland up until then had 8 MEPs) the Scottish press and certain elements within the fundamentalist wing of the Party depicted the result as a disaster for the SNP putting further pressure on Swinney to resign.[59][60]
Following the results of the2004 European Parliament election, senior figures within the SNP began privately briefing against Swinney.Gil Paterson, a former MSP forCentral Scotland, was the first to call for Swinney's departure, withMichael Russell, a former potential campaign manager for Swinney calling for a change in approach from the SNP.[61] Members of the SNP shadow cabinet began privately discussing removing Swinney from the leadership, andAlex Salmond advised Swinney to resign in exchange for senior party figures not calling openly for his resignation.[62] On 22 June 2004, Swinney resigned as leader of the Scottish National Party, triggering aleadership contest.[63][64][65] He was succeeded byAlex Salmond after winning more than 75% of votes againstRoseanna Cunningham andMichael Russell on a joint leadership ticket withNicola Sturgeon.[66][67][68]
From 2004 until the2007 Scottish Parliament election, Swinney sat on the SNP's oppositionbackbenches. He served as a convener on the Parliament's European and External Relations Committee from 2004 to 2005 and deputy convener on the Finance Committee from 2005 to 2007. Swinney was a substitute member of the Audit Committee from 2004 to 2007.[69] In September 2005, Swinney was made Shadow Minister for Finance.[70][71]
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In the2007 election to the3rd Scottish Parliament, the SNP emerged as the largest party, with one seat more than thegoverningScottish Labour.[72][73] Initially the SNP proposed coalition talks with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, however, they declined and instead Swinney led coalition talks with theScottish Greens.[74] After an agreement, Salmond was appointedfirst minister of Scotland and he appointed Swinney as theCabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth in hisfirst minority government.[75]
As response to Swinney not notifying the Scottish Parliament that he had let theScottish Variable Rate lapse due to not funding this tax mechanism, the Scottish Parliament voted to censure him and called his actions "an abuse of power".[76] Subsequently, a freedom of information request showed that even if Swinney had funded the mechanism, problems and delays in the HM Revenue & Customs computer system made any collection of the tax impossible. The Scottish Government added, "The power has not lapsed, the HMRC simply does not have an IT system capable of delivering a ten-month state of readiness."[77][78]
AsFinance Secretary, Swinney was faced with the2008 financial crisis, which resulted in theScottish economy enteringrecession.[79] The Scottish economy began to gradually slow in 2007 as a result of stock market concerns regarding the U.S. housing market. Scottish economic output fell for four consecutive quarters before a slight recovery in Q3 in 2009, before falling again by the end of 2009.[80] Swinney advocated that at the start of the2008 financial crisis, the Scottish Government and Swinney as finance secretary "acted swiftly to provide an immediate capital stimulus to Scotland's economy at the start of the2008 financial crisis. As a consequence, Scotland's experience of recession has been shorter and shallower than the rest of the UK".[81]
Following the defeat of theYes Scotland campaign in the2014 referendum, Salmond resigned as leader of the SNP and Swinney was seen as a likely candidate in theleadership race, however, he "unreservedly" ruled himself out for a second bid as leader and endorsedNicola Sturgeon.[82][83][84] Sturgeon was elected unopposed as leader and was subsequently appointedFirst Minister of Scotland.[85][86] On 21 November 2014, Sturgeon appointed Swinney asDeputy First Minister.[87] He remained as Finance Secretary inSturgeon's new cabinet.[88][89]
In the2016 Scottish Parliament election, the SNP lost its overall majority, but remained the largest party with Sturgeon securing a second term as first minister.[90][91] She reappointed Swinney as deputy first minister, and for the first time in nine years, he was reshuffled from his roles as Finance Secretary toCabinet Secretary for Education and Skills.[92][93]
After the 2017 General Election saw the SNP lose 21 seats, pollster ProfessorJohn Curtice told the BBC that the party's record on education had likely dented its popularity: "The SNP may want to reflect that their domestic record, not least on schools, is beginning to undermine their support among those who on the constitutional question are still willing to support the Nationalist position."[94]
In March 2020, after the results of Scottish students dropped in maths and science in the international PISA rankings for education, Swinney admitted, "There is progress to be made in maths and science."[95] Scottish Conservative education spokeswoman Liz Smith said: "These two areas are so critical to the success of much of Scotland's modern economy. We should be doing so much better."[96]
In August 2020, Swinney was subject to avote of no confidence in Parliament, with the Conservatives, Labour and the Liberal Democrats all accusing Swinney of creating an exam results system which "unfairly penalised pupils at schools which had historically not performed so well".[97] During the No Confidence debate, Nicola Sturgeon described him as "one of the most decent and dedicated people in Scottish politics", whileThe Herald newspaper reported that: "Mr Swinney endured a deeply uncomfortable hour in the Holyrood chamber, as opposition MSPs said he had been a serial failure at the education portfolio, and he knew it."[98] The motion was defeated by 67 votes to 58 resulting in Swinney surviving the vote and remaining as Scottish Education Secretary.[99][100]
In March 2021 Swinney was the subject of asecond motion of no confidence.[101] As the minister in charge of liaising with theCommittee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints, Swinney was criticised for failing to provide the committee with all of the legal documentation which they requested.[102] After two votes in Parliament failed to persuade him to publish the advice, opposition parties moved a motion of no confidence in him.[103] After, Swinney shared some of these documents with the committee, the Scottish Greens declared they would not support the motion of no confidence and it was defeated by 65 votes to 57.[103]
A report byAudit Scotland in March 2021 concluded that the results of Swinney's efforts to reduce the poverty related attainment gap in Scottish education were "limited and [fell] short of the Scottish Government's aims. Improvement needs to happen more quickly and there needs to be greater consistency across the country." In 10 Scottish council areas the attainment gap between the richest and the poorest children increased.[104]
Following the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Scottish Labour urged Sturgeon to replace Swinney as Cabinet Secretary for Education, citing what it called "a litany of failures", in the "hope a new minister can stop the rot."[105] On 18 May, Sturgeon retained Swinney as Deputy First Minister but reshuffled him to the new cabinet role asCabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery.[106] Swinney also served as ActingCabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy from July 2022, whilstKate Forbes was on maternity leave.
Following Sturgeon's resignation in February 2023, Swinney stood down from his position as Deputy First Minister on 2 March 2023. He stated that it had been an "honour to serve Scotland".[107] In March 2023, Swinney moved to the SNP'sbackbenches and served as a member of the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee.[108][109] He spent the duration ofHumza Yousaf's premiership on the backbenches.
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Following Yousaf's resignation in April 2024 amida government crisis, Swinney launched his leadership bid on 2 May, afterKate Forbes, who was a serious contender to become leader, dropped out and endorsed him.[110] On 30 April, Forbes and Swinney held meetings to discuss the leadership.[111] Swinney promised Forbes a significant role in his government if elected, and Forbes soon after stood down.[112] Following Swinney's election, Forbes was appointedDeputy First Minister andCabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic.[113]
Graeme McCormick challenged Swinney for the leadership, saying he had the 100 nominations on 5 May.[114] Just hours later, he withdrew and endorsed Swinney, who became the presumptive nominee.[115]
On 6 May, with no other candidates put forward, Swinney was elected as party leader unopposed.[116] He said that he would work withScottish unionists as leader.[117]
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Swinney was officially sworn into office asfirst minister of Scotland on 8 May 2024 at the Court of Session in Edinburgh after receiving the Royal Warrant of Appointment byKing Charles III.[118][119]
Swinney's early premiership was marked by the resolution of theMichael Matheson iPad scandal: the SNP MSPMichael Matheson had incurred a £11,000 bill after taking a ParliamentaryiPad while on a family holiday, and had attempted to claim the bill back on expenses before admitting that the iPad had not been used for work purposes. Swinney refused to support theStandards, Procedures and Public Appointments Committee's proposed sanction on Matheson, describing Matheson as a "friend and colleague" who had "made mistakes", and casting doubt on the integrity of the committee's process: describing the process as "prejudiced", Swinney claimed that Conservative MSPAnnie Wells should have removed herself from the committee due to previous comments about Matheson's conduct. Swinney's support for Matheson was described as "incredible and indefensible" by theScottish Conservatives leaderDouglas Ross, and "unbelievable and embarrassing" by theScottish Labour leaderAnas Sarwar. Swinney directed the SNP to abstain on the parliamentary vote on the committee's recommendations, after introducing an amendment re-iterating Swinney's complaints about the investigation into Matheson. The Scottish Parliament subsequently voted in support of the committee's proposed sanction, banning Matheson from the Scottish Parliament for 27 days and withholding his salary 54 days, the heaviest sanction ever awarded to an MSP.[120][121]
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The majority of Swinney's cabinet were previously part of Yousaf's previous governments. The only addition to the cabinet was Kate Forbes replacingShona Robison asDeputy First Minister of Scotland, and taking part ofMàiri McAllan'sresponsibility for economy into her portfolio asCabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic.[122] Robison was, however, re-appointed by Swinney asFinance Secretary with additional responsibility for local government, with McAllan appointed as the reduced portfolio ofCabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy.[123]
On 27 March 2025,Christina McKelvie, theMinister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy died whilst serving in office, ultimately triggering a reshuffle on Swinney's government in June 2025.[124]Màiri McAllan was appointed asCabinet Secretary for Housing,Gillian Martin asCabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy andTom Arthur andMaree Todd appointed asMinister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing andMinister for Drugs & Alcohol Policy and Sport respectively.[125]
Swinney claimed that he believed thatScottish independence could "be achieved in the next five years" (as of May 2024) as a result of Brexit consequences on Scotland and the Scottish economy, as well as the cost of living crisis. In an interview withSky News, Swinney said "if we look at two of the biggest issues we face as a country in Scotland; the effect of the cost of living and the implications of Brexit. Both of those are major strategic factors that are doing severe economic and social damage to Scotland because of bad decisions taken in Westminster. And independence is the answer to that".[126]
Early into his premiership, Swinney faced questions from opposition parties regarding theGender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill which had been introduced byShona Robison and was blocked by the UK Government using a Section 35 order under the terms of the Scotland Act 1998. Swinney claimed that "the Supreme Court has said that we can't legislate in that area and we can't take forward that legislation".[126]
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In July 2024, Swinney and his party contested all 57 Scottish seats for the2024 general election. The SNP went into the election as the largest party at Westminster from Scotland, having won 48 out of 59 seats at the2019 general election.[127] Following the results of the2024 United Kingdom general election in Scotland, the SNP became the second largest party in the UK Parliament representing Scottish seats, having won 9 seats, losing a total of 39 seats across Scotland.[128] Across the United Kingdom, the results saw aLabour Party landslide victory, and similarly in Scotland,Scottish Labour became the largest party representing Scottish constituencies at Westminster.[129]
Following the results, Swinney said that the outcome of the election in Scotland was "very, very difficult and damaging". High profile SNP MPs lost their seats in the election, includingKirsten Oswald,Tommy Sheppard,Alison Thewliss andJoanna Cherry.[129] On 7 July 2024, newly electedPrime Minister of the United KingdomKeir Starmer travelled toEdinburgh on the first stop of his tour of the fourcountries of the United Kingdom and met with Swinney at the official residence of the First Minister,Bute House. During the meeting, both Swinney and Starmer agreed to "work together" and to "reset the relationship between their two governments".[130]
In January 2025, theMet Office issued a rare Red alert warning for strong winds for much of Scotland. Ahead of the strong winds association withStorm Éowyn, Swinney urged the public "not to travel" and urged the public to take the alert seriously and follow all advice given by emergency services in preparation for the storm. On 23 January 2025, Swinney advised that local councils across Scotland would make decisions on areas such as schools closing during the storm, and advised that theScottish Government Resilience Room had been activated to co-ordinate the government's response and preparation for the storm.[131] Storm Éowyn made impact in Scotland on 24 January 2025, leaving around 117,000 homes across the country without power and electricity supply, with wind speeds as high as 102 mph recorded on theTay Road Bridge. Swinney appealed to the public to have a "high level of vigilance".[132]
Swinney issued a public statement on 25 January calling for "patience" as the cleanup operation began. Amber warnings for ice, snow and wind remained in place in most parts of Scotland over the weekend (24–26 January).[133] Swinney stated that it was "clear the severity of Storm Éowyn will continue into next week and this will have an impact on the speed at which utilities and local services can fully resume".[134]
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During a speech to theMunich Security Conference in February 2025,Vice President of the United States,JD Vance, criticised the Scottish Government and their policy on buffer zones outside abortion clinics. Vance told the Munich Security Conference that "in October, the Scottish Government began distributing letters to citizens whose houses lay within so-called Safe Access Zones, warning them that even private prayer within their own homes may amount to breaking the law".[135] In response, a spokesperson for the Scottish Government branded Vance's comments as "dangerous", adding that "no letters had been sent out saying people couldn't pray in their homes", and confirmed that only "intentional or reckless behaviour" was covered by the act referred to by Vance.[136]
In April 2025, U.S. PresidentDonald Trump introduced a number of tariffs on foreign imports into the United States. Scottish products were affected by a 10% tariff, something in which Deputy First MinisterKate Forbes claimed would "have negative impact on Scotland's economy", whilst Swinney said that the tariffs were "very damaging" for the Scottish economy", but expressed hope for Trump's "deep personal connection to Scotland" would help avoid US trade barriers.[137]
Swinney stated to the Scottish Parliament in April 2025 that he would "leave no stone unturned" in taking forward concerns from Scottish businesses regarding the trade tariffs, particularly concerns raised by theScotch whisky industry.[138] Business with the United States contributes £971 million per year for the Scotch whisky industry.[139] Speaking about the tariffs in his first official visit to the United States since becoming First Minister, Swinney condemned Trump's tariffs, stating that "it is undeniable the advent of tariffs is a blow to Scotland".[140] He confirmed that whilst visiting the United States, no plans were in place to meet with representatives from the Trump administration to discuss the tariffs.[141]
Swinney met with Trump on 29 July 2025, during his five day private visit tohis golf course atTurnberry, South Ayrshire.[142] Swinney said that he would use the talks with Trump as an opportunity to raise the "unimaginable suffering" inGaza, as well as the10% tariff imposed by the Trump administration onScotch whisky.[143] As part of the visit, Swinney pledged £180,000 of public money to support the 2025 Nexo Championship of the DP World Tour, to be held atTrump International Golf Links inAberdeenshire. Swinney described the funding as an opportunity to "further enhance Aberdeenshire's reputation as a leading golfing destination". Swinney's pledge met with intense criticism from across the political spectrum: theScottish Conservatives accused Swinney of hypocrisy for supporting protests against Trump's visit while giving public money to his golf course.Monica Lennon ofScottish Labour described the decision as "completely ridiculous", and accused Swinney of paying "£180,000 of our money for a five minute meet-and-greet with Donald Trump". Former SNP health secretaryAlex Neil described it as "an outrageous waste of public money" that should have been "given to cash-strapped organisations providing essential services for Scotland's poor."Patrick Harvie of theScottish Greens compared the funding to "offering up pocket money to the school bully," adding, "Scotland should be ashamed of this."[142][144][145][146] Swinney also met with Trump in theOval Office at theWhite House on 9 September 2025, where better tariffs on imports to the United States of Scotch whisky from Scotland were discussed, along with international conflicts in Gaza andQatar.[147] No reduction in whisky tariffs was forthcoming following either of Trump and Swinney's meetings.[148]
Swinney faced strong criticism for attending a state banquet atWindsor Castle in honour of Donald Trump during his2025 state visit to the UK: SNP MPChris Law posted then hastily deleted a tweet saying, "Sitting at tonight's banquet dinner with President Donald Trump, is conceding that it's acceptable to supportgenocide in Gaza". Co-leader of theScottish GreensRoss Greer called on Swinney to boycott the dinner, saying, "Donald Trump is one of the most dishonest, disgraced and dishonourable people in the world. He is the last person on earth who deserves a banquet in their honour." Swinney insisted that it was in Scotland's interests for him to attend the dinner, saying, "I don't think people in Scotland would understand their first minister leaving Scotland's seat empty, when there are big issues that affect the jobs and the livelihoods of people in Scotland." Northern Irish First MinisterMichelle O'Neill and Welsh First MinisterEluned Morgan both refused to attend the dinner.[149]
Swinney has called for an immediate ceasefire in theGaza war, and for a de-escalation of the conflict betweenIran andIsrael. In August 2024, Swinney's Cabinet Secretary for External Affairs,Angus Robertson, faced intense criticism from within the Scottish National Party when he was photographed meeting with Daniela Grudsky Ekstein, the Deputy Ambassador ofIsrael to the UK. The Israeli embassy said that Grudsky Ekstein had discussed the release ofIsraeli hostages with Robertson, and that Israel was "looking forward to cooperating" with Scotland in areas including culture and renewables. The photograph provoked uproar within the SNP, and several SNP MSPs and former ministers called for Robertson's resignation. Swinney said that Robertson met with Grudsky Ekstein with his full knowledge and permission, and that he stood by his decision to accept the Israeli embassy's request for a meeting. Swinney defended the meeting as an opportunity to convey the Scottish Government's "consistent position on the killing and suffering of innocent civilians in the region."[150][151]
An investigation byThe Ferret andThe National revealed in July 2025 that Swinney had actively sought a meeting with the Israeli ambassadorTzipi Hotovely from early June 2024. Emails and WhatsApp messages obtained under Freedom of Information legislation revealed that Scottish Government ministers and senior advisers were closely involved in managing the meeting, with discussions focused on communications strategy and anticipating FOI requests. A Scottish Government official was quoted as saying, "Transparency is obviously a good thing, but it takes up such a lot of our time." The minutes of the meeting between Robertson and Grudsky Ekstein were heavily redacted, but described Scotland and Israel as "critical friends". Robertson had previously claimed that one of the priorities for the meeting was to express the Scottish Government's support for an "end of UK arms being sent to Israel", however there was no mention of this in the minutes released. Following the revelations,Scottish Labour MSPMercedes Villalba said the Swinney's government had "actively sought a meeting with a representative of a statewhose prime minister is now wanted by theICC for crimes against humanity".Amnesty International accused the Scottish Government's actions of not matching its rhetoric, and demanded "absolute clarity" on whether Robertson strongly challenged Israel over its conduct in Gaza.Simon Barrow, national secretary of the SNP Trade Union Group, the party's largest affiliate body, demanded "appropriate reparative action" on Swinney's part.[152][153]
In September 2022, amid thedeath and state funeral of Elizabeth II, Swinney stated that the monarch should remain head of state of anindependent Scotland.[154] In May 2024, during an interview with Sky News, Swinney claimed that he believed that Scotland could become independent "in the next five years" as a consequence of Brexit and the cost of living crisis.[126] In May 2024, Swinney described himself as following a "moderatecentre-left agenda".[155]
In April 2025, Swinney called for the bandKneecap to be banned from Scotland'sTRNSMT music festival.[156]
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Swinney married Lorna King in 1991 and the marriage was legally dissolved in 2000.[157] They had two children: Judith, born in 1994, and Stuart, born in 1996.[158] The couple divorced after theDaily Record revealed King had anaffair with a married nursery teacher.[159] The marriage was subsequently annulled by theRoman Rota in order that Swinney be allowed to marry in theCatholic Church, to which his second wife belongs.[160]
Swinney married Elizabeth Quigley, aBBC News Scotland reporter, on 26 July 2003 atSt Peter's Church, Edinburgh.[161][162] Quigley was diagnosed withmultiple sclerosis in 2000.[163] In 2010, she gave birth to Swinney's third child, Matthew.[164][165] They live inWoodside, Perth and Kinross.[166][167]
Swinney is a member of theChurch of Scotland and has described himself as "a man of deep Christian faith".[168] However, he has clashed with his party colleagueKate Forbes due to her religious views (Forbes is a member of theFree Church of Scotland, a smaller and more conservative religious group).[169]
Swinney was appointed to thePrivy Council on 10 July 2024, entitling him to be styled "The Right Honourable" for life.[170]
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| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNorth Tayside 1997–2001 | Succeeded by |
| Scottish Parliament | ||
| New constituency | Member of the Scottish Parliament forNorth Tayside 1999–2011 | Constituency abolished |
| New constituency | Member of the Scottish Parliament forPerthshire North 2011–present | Incumbent |
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| Preceded byas Minister for Finance and Public Service Reform | Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy 2007–2016 | Succeeded byas Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Constitution |
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| Preceded by | Scottish National Party Vice Convenor for Publicity 1992–1997 | Office abolished |
| Preceded by | Depute Leader of theScottish National Party 1998–2000 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Leader of theScottish National Party 2000–2004 (National Convener 2000 – April 2004) | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Leader of theScottish National Party 2024–present | Incumbent |
| Order of precedence in Scotland | ||
| Preceded byasPrime Minister of the United Kingdom | Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland 2024–present | Succeeded byasPresiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament |
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