John Swinney Wins 3-Round Vote to Stay Scotland's First Minister as SNP Falls 8 Seats Short
Updated
Updated · BBC.com · May 19
John Swinney Wins 3-Round Vote to Stay Scotland's First Minister as SNP Falls 8 Seats Short
4 articles · Updated · BBC.com · May 19
John Swinney secured re-appointment as Scotland's first minister after three rounds of voting in Holyrood, with his formal appointment to be approved by the King before Wednesday's signing-in ceremony.
SNP election gains made his victory effectively certain, but Kenneth Gibson's election as presiding officer leaves the party on 57 MSPs—eight short of a majority—forcing Swinney to seek support from other parties to pass laws.
Swinney pledged "reliable, trusted leadership in turbulent times," promising action on living costs, the NHS, the economy and the environment while arguing the SNP-Green pro-independence majority gives him a mandate to pursue independence.
Opposition leaders pressed him to focus on public services and living costs instead, with Conservatives and Lib Dems urging him to drop another independence referendum that still requires UK government approval.
The vote caps a political comeback for Swinney, who returned after Humza Yousaf's 2024 exit and has now delivered a fifth consecutive term of SNP government at Holyrood.
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