Yesterday John Swinney was sworn in as Scotland’s new First Minister at the Edinburgh court of Sessions. He also announced his new cabinet which he started leading today, on Europe Day, which is also an important day for us as we are launching a new campaign (see below).
John Swinney was elected leader of the Scottish National Party on Monday, unopposed, and was nominated as First Minister on Tuesday by the Scottish Parliament, winning the votes of all 63 SNP MSP and one Alba MSP, just one short of an absolute majority, while the Scottish Greens, who are no longer part of the government, abstained. This allowed Swinney to take office immediately, thus putting a swift end to the uncertainty following Humza Yousaf’s resignation announcement just over a week ago.
Many Europeans will be curious to know more about Swinney, a veteran member of the Scottish Parliament, where he sits since its reopening, in 1999. Swinney is best known as the Deputy First Minister throughout the entirety of Nicola Sturgeon’s tenure as First Minister, from 2014 to 2023. Additionally, he was also an appreciated finance minister, under both Salmond and Sturgeon.
Few outside Scotland know that he was also the SNP leader for a brief spell from 2000 to 2004, when he was only in his 30s. Back then, the SNP was not the dominant force in Scottish politics that it is today. However, Swinney led the party at a crucial juncture, opposing the criminal War in Iraq which has contributed to destroying the credibility of Labour in Scotland.
The contrast between the SNPs and Labour’s position on foreign politics continues to be stark to this day. Swinney praised Humza Yousaf’s moral leadership on foreign politics, which was particularly appreciated at a time when Labour under Keir Starmer has once again lost a lot of credibility (and votes) over its stance on Gaza – an issue where the entire Westminster elite seem to have lost the plot. The Scottish MPs alone keep demanding the end of arms sales to Israel.
Before expressing his desire to continue Yousaf’s fight for international justice for Gaza, Swinney also paid tribute to the grace and dignity with which his predecessor conducted himself. We, too, want to acknowledge how rare it is to see a politician acting with the decency and courtesy that Humza Yousaf showed until his very last day in office.
Yousaf’s government fell on its rushed decision to break the agreement that had brought the Greens in government for the first time in Scottish history. Still, it is worth contrasting Scotland’s ambition in tackling climate change with the inaction of the UK government, whose climate plan was falling so short of its already modest objectives that it was deemed unlawful by the High Court in London last week.
This contrast in ambition to do better is also part of our determination to keep making the case for Scotland’s place in Europe. We are very excited to announce Europe for Scotland’s new European campaign: Speak Up for Scotland!
We are launching it on Europe Day, three days before the 25th anniversary of the reopening of the Scottish Parliament, on May 12th, 1999, and exactly one month before the EU parliamentary elections.
As you know, this is the first European election where UK citizens will not be able to vote. But while people in England narrowly chose to give up their seat in Europe, the Scots have been deprived of a voice against their democratic will, as they voted overwhelmingly (62%) to remain.
That’s why we at Europe for Scotland have decided to work as hard as we can to make Scotland’s voice heard.
This is important for the people of Scotland, who have been deprived of rights and opportunities by a historic exercise in democratic injustice and need support from their European friends. But it is also important for all of us in Europe. We strongly believe that amidst the current global turmoil and the looming threat of Trump, it is more vital than ever for Europe to uphold solidarity and democracy. Scotland’s strong democratic values, its inclusive stance on migration and humane perspective on global affairs, can help us build the better Europe we so desperately need.
We will therefore ask prospective MEPs across Europe to publicly commit to support Scotland’s re-entry in the EU as an independent country, and publicly list the signatories on our website.