John Swinney

Last updated

2007–2023
Lorna King
​
​
(m. 1991;div. 1998)​
Elizabeth Quigley
​
(m. 2003)​
John Swinney
MSP
Court of Session (53707469110) (cropped).jpg
Swinney in May 2024
First Minister of Scotland
Assumed office
8 May 2024
Children3
Relatives Tom Hunter (uncle)
Alma mater University of Edinburgh
Website www.johnswinneymsp.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Court of Session (53707469110) (cropped).jpg
This article is part of
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John Swinney
Incumbent
Cabinet positions (2007-2023)
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John Ramsay Swinney (born 13 April 1964) is a Scottish politician who has served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) since May 2024. He previously served as the leader of the SNP from 2000 to 2004 as Leader of the Opposition, and held various roles within the Scottish Cabinet from 2007 to 2023 under First Ministers Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, most notably serving as Sturgeon’s Deputy First Minister from 2014 to 2023. Swinney was Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North Tayside from 1999 to 2011 and, following boundary changes, has been MSP for Perthshire North since 2011. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Tayside North from 1997 to 2001.

Contents

Born in Edinburgh, Swinney graduated with a MA in politics at the University of Edinburgh. He joined the SNP at a young age, and quickly rose to prominence by serving as the National Secretary from 1986 to 1992 and as Deputy Leader from 1998 to 2000. He served in the House of Commons as MP for Tayside North from 1997 to 2001. He was elected to the inaugural Scottish Parliament at the 1999 Scottish Parliament election. After Salmond resigned the party leadership in 2000, Swinney was elected at the 2000 leadership election. He became Leader of the Opposition in the Scottish Parliament. The SNP lost one MP at the 2001 general election and eight MSPs at the 2003 Scottish Parliament election, despite the Officegate scandal unseating the previous Scottish Labour first minister, Henry McLeish. However, the only parties to gain seats in that election were the Scottish Greens and the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) which, like the SNP, support independence. After an unsuccessful challenge to his leadership in 2003, and the party's unfavourable results at the 2004 European Parliament election, Swinney resigned. Salmond returned to the role at the subsequent 2004 leadership election.

From 2004 to 2007, Swinney was a backbencher. At the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, the SNP won the highest number of seats, and Salmond was subsequently appointed first minister. Swinney served under Salmond as Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth from 2007 to 2014. After Nicola Sturgeon succeeded Salmond, she appointed Swinney as Deputy First Minister in 2014. He also served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy, until that role was divided into two posts in the second Sturgeon government as a result of the expansion of the Scottish Parliament's financial powers; he was then appointed Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills in 2016, and then as Cabinet 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 announced his resignation from his senior positions in response to Sturgeon's resignation as first minister.

Swinney spent the duration of Humza Yousaf's premiership on the backbenches and served as a member of the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee. Following Yousaf's announcement of his resignation in April 2024, Swinney ran to succeed him at the 2024 SNP leadership election and was elected unopposed.

Early life

Family, education and early career

John Ramsay Swinney was born on 13 April 1964 [1] in the Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, the son of Kenneth Swinney, a garage manager, [2] and Agnes Weir Swinney (née Hunter). [3] His uncle Tom Hunter was awarded the Victoria Cross whilst serving with the Royal Marines during the Second 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 at Forrester High School, before attending the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated with an Master 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 with Scottish Amicable Life Assurance from 1992 to 1997. [8]

Early political involvement

Swinney joined the Scottish 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 the Commonwealth Games. [10] He quickly became a prominent figure in the party's youth wing, the Young Scottish Nationalist, now known as the Young Scots for Independence (YSI). [11] He served as the SNP's Assistant National Secretary, before becoming the National Secretary in 1986, at the age of 22. [12]

Early political career

House of Commons

Swinney's official parliamentary portrait, 1999 John Swinney in 1999.jpg
Swinney's official parliamentary portrait, 1999

At the 1997 general election, he was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Tayside North constituency, [13] and in 1999 he was elected to represent the same area at the Scottish Parliament. He stood down as a Westminster MP at the 2001 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.

Election to Holyrood

In 1999 Swinney was elected to the 1st Scottish Parliament, representing the North Tayside constituency. [14] In Salmond's opposition cabinet, he served as the Spokesman 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]

Leader of the SNP in opposition (2000–2004)

Leadership bid

In 2000 Alex Salmond resigned as leader of the SNP, [16] [17] which triggered a leadership contest. [18] [19] Swinney ran in the election against Alex Neil. [20] [21] The leadership contest was dominated by internal fights in the party between Gradualists, who advocated Scottish devolution as step towards independence, and Fundamentalists, 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 the right. [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]

Tenure

Internal party divisions

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 2002 Dorothy-Grace Elder, the SNP MSP for the Glasgow 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 the Lothians region for the 2003 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 the Shetland Islands Brian Nugent announced that he was forming 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]

2001 UK and 2003 Scottish elections

Swinney speaking in a Scottish Parliament debate, June 2000 John Swinney in Scottish Parliament debate.jpg
Swinney speaking in a Scottish Parliament debate, June 2000

Swinney led the SNP through a poor election result at the 2001 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 the Perth constituency, the Scottish 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 the upcoming 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 the Scottish Labour Party, who lost six MSPs and their vote share dropped by 4.2%. [46] The SNP remained the second-largest party at Holyrood. The decline in support for the SNP was viewed by some as a rejection of the case for Scottish independence, however, the only parties which increased their representation in that election were the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) and the Scottish Green Party, both of which also support independence. [47] [48]

2003 leadership challenge

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 and launched 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's fundamentalists 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 expel Campbell 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]

Scottish independence

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 the Swinney's use of language and said, "There is no place in Scotland for his brand of extreme nationalism." [58]

2004 European Parliament elections

Though retaining its two seats at the 2004 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]

Resignation

After the results of the 2004 European Parliament election, senior figures within the SNP began privately briefing against Swinney. Gil Paterson, a former MSP for Central Scotland, was the first to call for Swinney's departure, with Michael 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, and Alex 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 a leadership contest. [63] [64] [65] He was succeeded by Alex Salmond after winning more than 75% of votes against Roseanna Cunningham and Michael Russell on a joint leadership ticket with Nicola Sturgeon. [66] [67] [68]

SNP in opposition (2004–2007)

From 2004 until the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, Swinney sat on the SNP's opposition backbenches. 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]

Salmond administration (2007–2014)

Finance Secretary: 2007–2016

Swinney's official portrait as Cabinet Secretary for Sustainable Growth John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Sustainable Growth (1).jpg
Swinney's official portrait as Cabinet Secretary for Sustainable Growth

In the 2007 election to the 3rd Scottish Parliament, the SNP emerged as the largest party, with one seat more than the governing Scottish Labour. [72] [73] Initially the SNP proposed coalition talks with the Scottish Liberal Democrats, however, they declined and instead Swinney led coalition talks with the Scottish Greens. [74] After an agreement, Salmond was appointed first minister of Scotland and he appointed Swinney as the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth in his first minority government. [75]

As response to Swinney not notifying the Scottish Parliament that he had let the Scottish 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]

2008 financial crisis

As Finance Secretary, Swinney was faced with the 2008 financial crash, which resulted in the Scottish economy entering recession. [79]

Deputy First Minister of Scotland (2014–2023)

Swinney with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon after his appointment as Deputy First Minister, November 2014 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Deputy First Minister John Swinney.jpg
Swinney with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon after his appointment as Deputy First Minister, November 2014

Following the defeat of the Yes Scotland campaign in the 2014 referendum, Salmond resigned as leader of the SNP and Swinney was seen as a likely candidate in the leadership race, however, he "unreservedly" ruled himself out for a second bid as leader and endorsed Nicola Sturgeon. [80] [81] [82] Sturgeon was elected unopposed as leader and was subsequently appointed First Minister of Scotland. [83] [84] On 21 November 2014, Sturgeon appointed Swinney as Deputy First Minister. [85] He remained as Finance Secretary in Sturgeon's new cabinet. [86] [87]

Sturgeon and Swinney head the first meeting of the Scottish Cabinet, May 2016 Meeting of new Scottish Cabinet, 2016.jpg
Sturgeon and Swinney head the first meeting of the Scottish Cabinet, May 2016

Education Secretary: 2016–2021

In the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, the SNP lost its overall majority, but remained the largest party with Sturgeon securing a second term as first minister. [88] [89] She reappointed Swinney as deputy first minister, and for the first time in nine years, he was reshuffled from his roles as Finance Secretary to Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills. [90] [91]

Educational performance

After the 2017 General Election saw the SNP lose 21 seats, pollster Professor John 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." [92]

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." [93] 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." [94]

2020 SQA exam controversy

In August 2020, Swinney was subject to a vote 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". [95] During the No Confidence debate, Nicola Sturgeon described him as "one of the most decent and dedicated people in Scottish politics", while The 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." [96] The motion was defeated by 67 votes to 58 resulting in Swinney surviving the vote and remaining as Scottish Education Secretary. [97] [98]

Vote of no confidence

In March 2021 Swinney was the subject of a second motion of no confidence. [99] As the minister in charge of liaising with the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints, Swinney twice refused to publish legal advice requested by the committee. [100] [ better source needed ] After two votes in Parliament failed to persuade him to publish the advice, opposition parties announced a motion of no confidence in him. [100] Swinney u-turned and published the advice; the Scottish Greens declared they would not support the motion of no confidence and it was defeated by 65 votes to 57. [100]

Attainment gap

A report by Audit 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. [101]

Covid Recovery Secretary: 2021–2023

Swinney at a COVID-19 press conference in 2021 John Swinney (2021).jpg
Swinney at a COVID-19 press conference in 2021

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." [102] On 18 May, Sturgeon announced Swinney would continue as Deputy First Minister but would be reshuffled to the new cabinet role as Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery. [103]

Following Sturgeon's resignation in February 2023, Swinney announced on 2 March 2023 that he was standing down from his position as Deputy First Minister. He stated that it had been an "honour to serve Scotland". [104] In March 2023, Swinney moved to the SNP's backbenches and served as a member of the Scottish Parliament's Justice Committee. [105] [106] He spent the duration of Humza Yousaf's premiership on the backbenches.

2024 SNP leadership election

Swinney's leadership campaign logo. JohnSwinneySNPLeadershipCampaignLogo.png
Swinney's leadership campaign logo.

Following Humza Yousaf's resignation in April 2024 amid a government crisis, Swinney launched his leadership bid on 2 May, after Kate Forbes, who was a serious contender to become leader, dropped out and endorsed him. [107]

Graeme McCormick announced he would challenge Swinney for the leadership, saying he had the 100 nominations on 5 May. [108] Just hours later, he withdrew and endorsed Swinney, becoming the presumptive nominee. [109]

On 6 May, with no other candidates put forward, Swinney was elected as party leader unopposed. [110] He said that he would work with Scottish unionists as leader. [111]

First Minister of Scotland (2024–)

Swinney being officially sworn into office Court of Session (53707367184).jpg
Swinney being officially sworn into office

Swinney was officially sworn into office as first minister of Scotland on 8 May 2024 at the Court of Session in Edinburgh after receiving the Royal Warrant of Appointment by King Charles III. [112] [113]

The majority of Swinney's cabinet were previously part of Humza Yousaf's previous governments. The only addition to the cabinet was Kate Forbes replacing Shona Robinson as Deputy First Minister of Scotland, and taking part of Màiri McAllan's responsibility for economy into her portfolio as Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic. [114] Robinson was, however, re-appointed by Swinney as Finance Secretary with additional responsibility for local government, with McAllan appointed as the reduced portfolio of Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy. [115]

Political positions

In September 2022, amid the death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, Swinney stated that the monarch should remain head of state of an independent Scotland. [116]

In May 2024, there was media speculation that Swinney would move the party towards the political centre and away from a transgender-affirming stance on gender recognition reform, which was supported by the Scottish Greens. Swinney did not comment on this, but said that he would follow a "moderate centre-left agenda – that's where I come from, that's where my party's policy base is and that's how we'll take it forward". [117]

Parliamentary electoral history

2020s

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Perthshire North [118] [119]
PartyCandidateConstituencyRegional
Votes%±%Votes%±%
SNP John Swinney [lower-alpha 3] 19,86049.5Increase2.svg0.916,09040.1Decrease2.svg1.6
Conservative Murdo Fraser [lower-alpha 4] 15,80739.4Increase2.svg0.614,67036.5Decrease2.svg 1.7
Scottish Green 3,2418.1Increase2.svg2.1
Labour Ryan Smart2,3245.8Decrease2.svg1.92,8387.1Decrease2.svg0.5
Liberal Democrats Peter Barrett1,8024.5Decrease2.svg0.51,7284.3Increase2.svg0.4
Alba 6581.6New
All for Unity 2700.7New
Scottish Family Donald Marshall3340.8New2300.6New
Reform UK 1110.3New
Abolish the Scottish Parliament 1050.3New
Freedom Alliance (UK)960.2New
Libertarian 510.1Decrease2.svg0.1
UKIP 340.1Decrease2.svg1.8
Independent Martin Keatings250.1New
Renew 80.0New
Independent Mercy Kamanja40.0New
Majority4,05310.1Increase2.svg0.3
Valid Votes40,12740,159
Invalid Votes14173
Turnout 40,26869.9Increase2.svg6.940,23269.9Increase2.svg6.9
SNP hold Swing
Notes
  1. ↑ Previously titled Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth from 2007 to 2011; Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth from 2011 to 2014; and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy from 2014 to 2016
  2. ↑ Swinney was acting Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy during the maternity leave of Kate Forbes from 2022 to 2023.
  3. ↑ Incumbent member for this constituency
  4. ↑ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

2010s

2016 Scottish Parliament election: Perthshire North [119]
PartyCandidateConstituencyRegional
Votes%±%Votes%±%
SNP John Swinney [lower-alpha 1] 16,52648.6Decrease2.svg12.214,21841.7Decrease2.svg11.4
Conservative Murdo Fraser [lower-alpha 2] 13,19038.8Increase2.svg12.513,03838.2Increase2.svg13.2
Labour Anna McEwan2,6047.7Decrease2.svg1.22,5997.6Decrease2.svg1.4
Scottish Green 2,0456.0Increase2.svg1.5
Liberal Democrats Peter Barrett1,7055.0Increase2.svg1.01,3363.9Increase2.svg0.2
UKIP 6341.9Increase2.svg0.8
RISE 1040.3New
Solidarity 780.2Increase2.svg0.1
Libertarian 600.2New
Majority3,3369.8Decrease2.svg24.7
Valid Votes34,02534,112
Invalid Votes11259
Turnout 34,13763.0Increase2.svg6.734,17163.0Increase2.svg6.7
SNP hold Swing
Notes
  1. ↑ Incumbent member for this constituency
  2. ↑ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency
2011 Scottish Parliament election: Perthshire North [120] [121]
PartyCandidateConstituencyRegion
Votes%±%Votes%±%
SNP John Swinney [lower-alpha 1] 18,21960.8N/A15,90853.1N/A
Conservative Murdo Fraser [lower-alpha 2] 7,86626.3N/A7,49125.0N/A
Labour Pete Cheema2,6728.9N/A2,6909.0N/A
Scottish Green 1,3594.5N/A
Liberal Democrats Victor Clements1,1964.0N/A1,1213.7N/A
Scottish Senior Citizens 4401.5N/A
UKIP 3341.1N/A
BNP 1870.6N/A
Scottish Christian 1100.4N/A
Socialist Labour 970.3N/A
CPA 880.3N/A
Scottish Socialist 740.2N/A
Independent Andrew Roger420.1N/A
Solidarity 170.1N/A
Majority10,35334.5N/A
Valid Votes29,95329,958
Invalid Votes117117
Turnout 30,07056.3N/A30,07556.3N/A
SNP win (new seat)
Notes
  1. ↑ Incumbent member for the North Tayside constituency
  2. ↑ Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

2000s

2007 Scottish Parliament election: North Tayside
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
SNP John Swinney 18,281 51.6 +6.7
Conservative Murdo Fraser 10,69730.2-1.2
Labour Michael Marra3,2439.2-1.4
Liberal Democrats James Taylor3,1759.0-0.6
Majority7,58421.4+7.9
Turnout 35.39557.1+3.9
SNP hold Swing +4.0
2003 Scottish Parliament election: North Tayside
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
SNP John Swinney 14,969 44.9 +0.8
Conservative Murdo Fraser 10,46631.4-1.7
Labour Gordon MacRae3,52710.6-4.4
Liberal Democrats Bob Forrest3,2069.6+1.9
Scottish Socialist Rosie Adams9412.8New
Scottish People's George Ashe2340.7New
Majority4,50313.5+2.5
Turnout 33,34353.2
SNP hold Swing +0.8

1990s

1999 Scottish Parliament election: North Tayside
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
SNP John Swinney 16,786 44.11 N/A
Conservative Murdo Fraser 12,59433.09N/A
Labour Marion Dingwall5,72715.05N/A
Liberal Democrats Peter Regent2,9487.75N/A
Majority4,19211.02N/A
Turnout 38,055
SNP win (new seat)

Personal life

Swinney with his wife, Elizabeth Quigley, and their son, Matthew, in 2024. Court of Session (53707469110).jpg
Swinney with his wife, Elizabeth Quigley, and their son, Matthew, in 2024.

Swinney was married to Lorna King from 1991 to 1998. They had two children: Judith and Stuart. The couple divorced in 1998 after the Daily Record revealed King had an affair with a married nursery teacher. [122] The marriage was subsequently annulled by the Scottish Catholic Tribunal in order that Swinney be allowed to marry in the Catholic Church in Scotland. [123]

In 2003, Swinney married Elizabeth Quigley, a BBC Scotland News reporter. [124] Quigley was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000. [125] In 2010, she gave birth to Swinney's third child, Matthew. [126] [127] They live near Blairgowrie in Perth and Kinross. [128]

Swinney has described himself as "a man of deep Christian faith". [129]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humza Yousaf</span> First Minister of Scotland from 2023 to 2024

Humza Haroon Yousaf is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from March 2023 to May 2024. He served under his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon as justice secretary from 2018 to 2021 and then as health secretary from 2021 to 2023. He has been Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Pollok since 2016, having previously been a regional MSP for Glasgow from 2011 to 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2014 Scottish National Party leadership election</span> Leadership election in the Scottish National Party (SNP)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 Scottish National Party leadership election</span> Scottish National Party (SNP) leadership election

The 2004 Scottish National Party leadership election was held following the resignation of John Swinney as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP). Nominations opened on 22 June, with three candidates nominated, and voting began on 13 August. This was the first election where all party members could vote. The results were announced on 3 September; Alex Salmond defeated Roseanna Cunningham and Michael Russell, with more than 75% of votes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ash Regan</span> Scottish politician (born 1974)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kate Forbes</span> Deputy First Minister of Scotland since 2024

Kate Elizabeth Forbes is a Scottish politician who has served as Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary-designate for Economy and Gaelic since May 2024. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy from 2020 to 2023. Forbes has been Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch since 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">6th Scottish Parliament</span> Members of the 6th Scottish Parliament

The 6th Scottish Parliament was elected at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. It was opened with the Escort to the Crown of Scotland Parade and Speech from the Throne on 2 October 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alba Party</span> Scottish political party

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. To date no Alba Party candidate has been elected at any election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Premiership of Nicola Sturgeon</span> Period of Scottish governance

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. Sturgeon's term ended on 29 March 2023, following her resignation announcement on 15 February, in which she claimed occupational burnout was the reason for her resignation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Third Sturgeon government</span> Scottish Government from 2021 to 2023

Nicola Sturgeon formed the third Sturgeon government following her Scottish National Party's victory in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. Sturgeon was nominated by a vote of the 6th Scottish Parliament for appointment to the post of First Minister on 18 May 2021 and announced the formation of a new Scottish National Party minority government on 19 May.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bute House Agreement</span> Power-sharing agreement in the Scottish government

The Bute House Agreement, officially the Cooperation Agreement between the Scottish Government and the Scottish Green Party Parliamentary Group was a power-sharing agreement between the Scottish National Party (SNP) government and the Scottish Greens which was agreed in August 2021 to support the Third Sturgeon government and then was reaffirmed to support the First Yousaf government.

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Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for North Tayside
1997–2001 		Succeeded by
Scottish Parliament
New constituency Member of the Scottish Parliament for North Tayside
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New constituency Member of the Scottish Parliament for Perthshire North
2011–present		Incumbent
Political offices
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