John Swinney news, interviews and updates on the First Minister
John Swinney became Scotland's First Minister in May 2024.
He replaced Humza Yousaf, who resigned after ending the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens.
Before this, Swinney had stepped down from his role in the Scottish Government following Nicola Sturgeon's resignation.
He is the seventh person to hold the position.
Read on for all the latest John Swinney news, interviews, and updates on the first minister.
As reported by The Herald, here is a selection of the latest John Swinney news stories.
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John Swinney expressed concerns about the potential societal impact of Reform UK.
He told The Herald's Unspun Live podcast that he does not want to regret not doing enough during his time in office to counter their rise.
He highlighted that Nigel Farage's party's campaign for the upcoming Holyrood election could "undermine... cohesion in our society."
Swinney: 'Reform will have an undeniable presence - I want to stop that'
John Swinney has served in both Westminster and Holyrood.
The politician first stood as the MP for Tayside North from 1997 until 2001.
(Image: PA) He was then elected as the MSP for North Tayside in 1999 and held both positions until stepping down from Westminster at the 2001 general election, where he was replaced by Pete Wishart.
He has remained an MSP ever since.
However, following boundary changes, he now represents Perthshire North.
Before entering politics, Swinney was employed as a strategic planning principal with Scottish Amicable and was a business and economic development consultant for five years.
He graduated from the University of Edinburgh with a degree in politics and first joined the SNP in 1979.
John Swinney was elected as the First Minister of Scotland in May 2024 after Humza Yousaf resigned.
Swinney, who had previously led the SNP from 2000 to 2004, was legally sworn in on May 8.
Despite speculation after Yousaf's resignation, Kate Forbes (below) did not contest Swinney for the SNP leadership and now serves as the Deputy First Minister.
Kate Forbes (Image: PA)Swinney made his statutory declarations and was granted his official title of First Minister and Keeper of the Scottish Seal.
He described his induction as an "overwhelming moment" and an "extraordinary opportunity to change lives for the better".
He told reporters after the ceremony: 'I look forward to dedicating my future to serving the people of Scotland."
All pupils in Primary 1 to 5 in Scottish Government-funded schools or schools run by local councils receive free lunches during term-time.
The SNP pledged to expand this to include free breakfast and lunch for Primary 6 and 7 pupils in their 2021 manifesto.
However, last September, John Swinney confirmed that the government would not be continuing with this plan when he laid out his Programme for Government.
Instead, the provision will only extend to Primary 6 and 7 pupils who qualify for the Scottish Child Payment.
This decision, according to Swinney, was due to the need for the government to manage its spending.
He attributed this financial restraint to "the austerity agenda" supported by Tory MSPs.
He said this forced the Scottish Government to make cuts to its spending.
John Swinney's extensive political career began in 2007 when he was tasked with the finance and sustainable growth brief.
In November 2014, he was appointed as deputy first minister and Scotland's finance, constitution, and economy secretary.
He served as education secretary from 2016 until 2021 before being named Scotland's secretary for Covid recovery from May 2021 until March 2023.
He also served as acting finance secretary during Kate Forbes' maternity leave.
After Nicola Sturgeon's resignation, Swinney decided to take a step back from his Scottish Government duties.
However, following a year on the backbenches, he was once again re-elected as leader of the SNP and First Minister of Scotland.
John Swinney was born in Edinburgh in 1964 and is 61 years old.
He married BBC Scotland journalist Elizabeth Quigley in 2003. The couple have one child together, and Swinney is a father of three. Quigley, a well-known BBC Scotland reporter, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000.
John Swinney with his wife Elizabeth Quigley and son Matthew (Image: Andrew Milligan/PA Wire)Speaking at the 2024 SNP conference, Swinney thanked his wife for the 'sacrifices' she has made to allow him to serve as First Minister.
John Swinney has described himself as 'a man of deep Christian faith.'
He said this to the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme in 2023 after Kate Forbes, his Deputy First Minister, revealed she would have voted against gay marriage if she was an MSP at the time.
Swinney told the broadcaster that he "profoundly disagreed" with Forbes despite his "deep religious faith".
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