The Scottish National Party is a Scottish nationalist and social democratic political party. The party holds 63 of the 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament and 43 out of the 59 Scottish seats in the House of Commons in Westminster. It has 453 local councillors of 1,227.
John Ramsay Swinney is a Scottish politician who served as Deputy First Minister of Scotland from 2014 to 2023. He held various Scottish Cabinet roles under First Ministers Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon from 2007 to 2023. Swinney has served as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Perthshire North since 2011,having previously represented North Tayside from 1999 to 2011. He was the Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2000 to 2004.
Fergus Stewart Ewing is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who served as the Scottish Government's Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism from 2016 to 2021,having previously held two junior ministerial posts. He has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 1999:for Inverness East,Nairn and Lochaber from 1999 to 2011,and for Inverness and Nairn since 2011.
Richard Neilson Lochhead is a Scottish politician serving as the Minister for Small Business,Trade and Innovation since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP),he served as the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs,Food and Environment from 2007 to 2016. Lochhead has been a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 1999,first representing North East Scotland electoral region from 1999 to 2006,before representing the Moray constituency since 2006.
Fiona Jane Hyslop is a Scottish politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Transport since 2024,after serving as Minister for Transport from 2023 to 2024. She previously served in various cabinet and junior ministerial offices under first ministers Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon;first as education secretary from 2007 to 2009,then culture secretary from 2009 to 2020,and latterly as economy secretary from 2020 to 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP),she has been a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Linlithgow constituency since 2011,having represented the Lothians region from 1999 to 2011.
Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2014 to 2023. She has served as a member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 1999,first as an additional member for the Glasgow electoral region,and as the member for Glasgow Southside from 2007.
Shona McRory Robison is a Scottish politician serving as Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Finance since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP),she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Dundee City East since 2003 and was an additional member for the North East Scotland region from 1999 to 2003.
In Scotland,the Scottish National Party (SNP) is a left social democratic political party which campaigns for Scottish independence. The SNP has controlled Scotland's devolved legislature since the 2007 election as a minority government,and were a majority government from the 2011 election and have been a minority government,since the 2016 election.
Angela Constance is a Scottish politician serving as Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP),she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Almond Valley since 2007.
Catherine Mario Ullrich was a Scottish politician who was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the West of Scotland region from 1999 to 2003. A prominent member of the Scottish National Party (SNP),she was an early supporter of the political career of Nicola Sturgeon,who later became First Minister of Scotland.
Maureen Elizabeth Watt is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician and former Minister for Mental Health in the Scottish Government. She was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) representing the constituency of Aberdeen South and North Kincardine from 2011 to 2021 when she retired,having previously served as a regional member for North East Scotland from 2006 until 2011.
Aileen Elizabeth Campbell is a Scottish football administrator and former politician who has served as the chief executive of Scottish Women's Football since 2021. A member of the Scottish National Party,she was a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for fourteen years and was a Scottish Government minister for ten,having served on the Scottish Cabinet as Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Local Government,from 2018 to 2021.
Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond is a Scottish politician,economist and television host,who served as First Minister of Scotland from 2007 to 2014. A prominent figure in the Scottish nationalist movement,he has served as Leader of the Alba Party since 2021. Salmond was leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP),on two occasions,from 1990 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2014. He served as the party's depute leader from 1987 to 1990. Salmond hosted The Alex Salmond Show (2017–2022) on RT UK. He currently hosts Scotland Speaks with Alex Salmond (2023–present).
The 2014 Scottish National Party leadership election was held to choose the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and First Minister of Scotland,following the resignation of Alex Salmond as first minister and leader. Nicola Sturgeon emerged as the only candidate and was elected unopposed as leader of the SNP.
Jennifer Madeleine Gilruth is a Scottish politician who has served as the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP),she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Mid Fife and Glenrothes since 2016.
Ruth Bernadette Maguire is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Cunninghame South since the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.
Ashten Regan is a Scottish politician. She has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Edinburgh Eastern since 2016. Initially elected to parliament for the Scottish National Party (SNP),she defected to the Alba Party. Regan served under First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as the minister for community safety from 2018 until she resigned in 2022 in protest against her government's Gender Recognition Reform bill.
The Alba Party is a Scottish nationalist and pro-independence political party in Scotland,founded in February 2021,led by former first minister of Scotland Alex Salmond. Salmond launched the party's 2021 Scottish Parliament election campaign in March 2021,with the party standing list-only candidates. Two members of Parliament (MPs) in the UK House of Commons defected from the Scottish National Party (SNP) to the Alba Party on 27 March 2021,and member of the Scottish parliament Ash Regan defected on 28 October 2023. Several former SNP MPs also joined the party. No Alba Party candidate has been elected at any election.
Nicola Sturgeon's term as first minister of Scotland began on 20 November 2014 when she was formally sworn into office at the Court of Session. It followed Alex Salmond's resignation following the defeat of the Yes campaign in the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. She is the first female and longest serving officeholder. Sturgeon's premiership was dominated by Brexit,which she used as an argument to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence,however,opposition from the UK Government,the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,the cost of living crisis and the ruling against her government holding an advisory referendum would be obstacles for Sturgeon securing her legacy of gaining Scottish independence. As a result of occupational burnout,Sturgeon's term ended on 29 March 2023,following her resignation announcement on 15 February.
