John Swinney set to become next SNP leader and Scottish first minister as rival quits race

5 May 2024, 20:56 | Updated: 6 May 2024, 05:00

John Swinney appears set to become Scotland's next first minister after Graeme McCormick pulled out of the race to become SNP leader.

Mr McCormick's decision not to pursue a leadership bid leaves Mr Swinney as the only official candidate after Humza Yousaf announced he is stepping down.

Mr Yousaf said he was resigning last week after he decided to end the power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Green Party.

Reports of a contest began early on Sunday when Mr McCormick said he had secured the 100 nominations from 20 branches needed to run against Mr Swinney.

But in a statement shared with Sky News, the party activist said he had had a "lengthy and fruitful conversation" with Mr Swinney, adding he had "met the threshold set by the party rules".