The Scottish Parliament met yesterday, 7th May, to elect a new First Minister. Firstly, the previous First Minister, Humza Yousaf, who had indicated his intention to stand down had to officially resign.

All political parties in the Scottish Parliament can nominate a MSP for the position of First Minister of Scotland. And this they did with each one being voted on.

• Liberal Democrats: Alex Cole Hamilton, 4 votes (all LibDem)
• Conservatives: Douglas Ross, 31 votes (all Con)
• Labour: Anas Sarwar, 22 votes (all Lab)
• Scottish National Party: John Swinney, 64 votes. (all SNP and Alba)
• There were 7 abstentions – Scottish Greens.

The Presiding Officer then declared that John Swinney had been elected by MSPs as the First Minister of Scotland. This decision, and that of the resignation of his predecessor, Humza Yousaf, all require approval by King Charles III.

As per ‘tradition’ the party leaders then had a chance to make a speech, welcoming John Swinney to the post to lead the Scottish Government whilst taking a wee swipe at him in the process. In his acceptance address, John Swinney made several pledges, the main one being to eradicate child poverty from Scotland. He hoped to have cross party support in this.

First Minister John Swinney said:

“I will be unapologetic about bringing to this Parliament the measures we can take to eradicate child poverty and I look forward to seeking the support of others to achieve that aim. I recognise, that is how it is going to have to work. I am leading a minority Government. I will need to reach out to others to make things happen. If we want to fund our schools and our hospitals, if we want to give our businesses a competitive edge, if we want to take climate action, if we want to eradicate child poverty, if we want to change people’s lives for the better, we have to work together to do so.”

John Swinney knows Orkney well having visited his Stromness granny many times in the past. His election as First Minister was welcomed by Robert Leslie, the SNP General Election candidate for Orkney and Shetland. He said:

“As someone who has always believed that collaboration and co-operation is key to progress in so many areas of life, I welcome John’s pledge to ensure that the SNP will look outward to the people across the country, and not inward among ourselves.

“I was delighted to hear him put tackling child poverty to the fore, as I am very aware of the impact of poverty on families that are struggling to make ends meet. Parents have told me how the Scottish Child Payment has allowed them to keep the heating on longer during the day to make it warm for their children coming home from school during the winter. These are the kinds of choices that no family should have to make in an energy-rich country, and I am heartened that SNP policies are making a positive impact on the lives of families in Orkney and Shetland.

“I look forward to playing any part I can in driving down poverty as part of the SNP’s fundamental aim to make Scotland a fairer and more equal country for all, while continuing to build the case for independence.”

Fiona Grahame