Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced her resignation after over eight years in charge, but who is John Swinney, the Deputy First Minister of Scotland?
The surprise news of Nicola Sturgeon‘s resignation as Scottish First Minister has shaken the British political sphere.
Sturgeon revealed today, Wednesday 15 January, that she would be stepping down from her long-term position at the helm of the Scottish Parliament, though no date has been set for exit at the time of writing.
The Glasgow Southside MSP has been propped up by the Deputy First Minister of Scotland for the last eight years, but who is the politician that has acted as her right-hand man?
Who is the Deputy First Minister of Scotland?
The Deputy First Minister of Scotland is John Swinney, a Perthshire North MSP, who was appointed to the esteemed position on November 21, 2014, shortly after Sturgeon became the nation’s First Minister.
According to the Scottish Government, the duties of the Deputy First Minister include overseeing government strategy, assisting with public service reform, and maximizing government efficiency.
In July 2022, it was announced that Swinney would temporarily cover Scotland’s Finance and Economy portfolio while the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Economy, Kate Forbes MSP, went on maternity leave.
Reacting to the news of Sturgeon’s departure, Swinney tweeted: “She (Sturgeon) has given outstanding leadership to our country, Government and Party.”
“It has been my privilege to support her as Deputy First Minister. She has my warmest good wishes for the future and heartfelt thanks for all that she has done for Scotland, for the cause of Independence and the Scottish National Party,” the Deputy First Minister continued.
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Inside the career of John Swinney
Having been involved in the youth wing of the SNP as a teenager, Swinney first ran for office in the 1997 General Election, when he was elected as an MP for the now defunct Tayside North constituency.
Swinney went on to resign from his Westminster seat in 2001, having been elected to the newly formed Scottish Parliament in 1999. Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
After Alex Salmond stepped down from his first spell in charge of the SNP in 2000, Swinney sought and won election as the party’s leader, a role which he occupied for four years.
Swinney resigned as the party leader in 2004 following a disappointing result in the European Parliamentary Elections the same year, though he remained in politics – going on to take up roles as the Finance and Education Secretary during Sturgeon’s spell as First Minister.
At the time of writing, there have been no updates regarding Swinney’s position as Deputy First Minister in the wake of Sturegon’s resignation.
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Who is John Swinney’s wife, Elizabeth Quigley?
Outside of politics, Swinney resides in Blairgowrie, Perth, with his wife Elizabeth Quigley. The Deputy Minister is a father to three children, two of whom he had with his first wife, Lorna King.
Quigley and Swinney married in 2003, and in 2010 the pair welcomed a son – Matthew, their first child together.
Quigley is a journalist who made the headlines back in 2020 after revealing her fear of returning to society, having been shielded during the first Covid-19 lockdown.
A sufferer of secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis, Quigley wrote in the BBC that she “breathed a sigh of relief”, when it was revealed that the shielding initiative would continue for vulnerable people in Scotland that summer.