Swinney nominated as First Minister for Scotland

John Swinney has been nominated as the seventh First Minister of Scotland, following a vote in the Scottish Parliament today.

MSPs voted 64 to 57 to select Swinney as First Minister from a total of four nominees. There were seven abstentions.

Swinney is expected to be formally appointed as First Minister this afternoon (8 May) with a Royal Warrant from His Majesty King Charles III. He will be officially 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: “It is an extraordinary privilege and it is my honour to accept the office of First Minister, committing myself to do the best I can for Scotland.

“I will be unapologetic about bringing to this Parliament the measures we can take to eradicate child poverty and I look forward to seeking the support of others to achieve that aim.

"I am leading a minority Government. I will need to reach out to others to make things happen.

“I commit my Government to working to create that agreement across the Chamber. I hope there is the space and the willingness for that to happen in the interests of the people who sent us here."

Event Diary

DISCOVER | DEVELOP | DISRUPT

UKREiiF has quickly become a must-attend in the industry calendar for Government departments and local authorities.

Registration is now open for the award-winning Road Transport Expo 2024 (RTX) – the tradeshow with a dedicated “all about the truck” focus.