John Swinney sworn in as Scotland's first minister

8 May 2024, 07:23 | Updated: 8 May 2024, 12:34

John Swinney has been legally sworn in as Scotland's seventh first minister.

The 60-year-old is now Keeper of the Scottish Seal, also known as the Great Seal, after taking the oath of office and pledging his allegiance to the King.

The seal allows the monarch to authorise official documents without having to sign each one.

As Keeper of the Scottish Seal, Mr Swinney now has the authority to make decisions on behalf of the crown, which effectively means he can lead the country with the support of the Scottish parliament.

The ceremony took place at the Court of Session in Edinburgh in front of Scotland's most senior judge, the Lord President Lord Carloway.

Mr Swinney's family, including his wife Elizabeth, brother David, and 13-year-old son Matthew, accompanied him to court.

Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Mr Swinney said taking the oaths had been an "overwhelming moment" as he spoke of his pride at being first minister and his family's support.

He said: "I look forward to dedicating my future to serving the people of Scotland.

"It's an extraordinary opportunity to change lives for the better and I'll continue to use every moment that's available to me to do so.

"For my family this is a very abrupt change of our circumstances. We didn't think this would happening about 10 days ago."

Mr Swinney, who has replaced Humza Yousaf as SNP leader, is now expected to begin appointing his cabinet.

A "significant" role has been promised to former finance secretary Kate Forbes, who chose not to run in the SNP leadership race and instead threw her support behind Mr Swinney.

The first minister pledged to devote himself to the job after winning Holyrood's backing. It came following the SNP leadership race in which he stood unopposed.

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Who is John Swinney?

Mr Swinney, who was deputy first minister under Nicola Sturgeon, previously said he is "no interim leader" and intends to lead the SNP beyond the next general and Scottish elections.

He has vowed to focus on the economy, jobs, the cost of living, the NHS, education, public services, and the climate crisis.

The first minister has confirmed he has no intention of reinstating the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens and will instead take issues on a case-by-case basis with a minority administration of 63 MSPs.

Mr Swinney told opposition parties at the Scottish parliament: "If we want to fund our schools and 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 got to work together to do so."

He also thanked his wife Elizabeth, who has multiple sclerosis (MS), making clear his "profound eternal gratitude" to her for "the sacrifices she is prepared to make" so he could take on the job.

(c) Sky News 2024: John Swinney sworn in as Scotland's first minister