Scotland: John Swinney is New SNP Leader, Prime Minister-Designate

Experienced politician John Swinney is the new leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), which is the Scottish independence party, and his nomination for prime minister of the Edinburgh Executive is scheduled for May 7. Swinney will succeed Humza Yousaf, who resigned over differences with the Greens and the subsequent breakdown of the alliance between the two political formations. However, the SNP does not have a majority in parliament (63 seats out of 129) and so must once again rely on the support of the Greens. The Scottish Parliament has responsibility for certain issues, such as health and education.

Having already been Deputy First Minister when Nicola Sturgeon was leader (from 2014 to 2023), he was the only one to run for the SNP leadership following the resignation of Kate Forbes, who will be taking a leading role in government anyway.

Swinney explained that he wanted to restore unity between the party and Scotland, clarifying on the issue of independence: “Before we reopen the file on Scottish independence, we need to convince more citizens.”