John Swinney has been officially sworn in as Scotland's seventh first minister during a brief ceremony at the Court of Session in Edinburgh. The SNP leader takes office 25 years after first being elected to the Scottish Parliament.
Speaking after the ceremony, the 60-year-old described the role as an 'enormous privilege' but acknowledged the 'very abrupt' change for his family. He pledged to use every moment available to change lives for the better, with a particular focus on eradicating child poverty.
Mr Swinney won the nomination for first minister in a parliamentary vote on Tuesday, backed by all 63 SNP MSPs and Alba's Ash Regan, with seven Green MSPs abstaining. The ceremony was overseen by Scotland's senior judge, Lord Carloway, during which Mr Swinney swore the oath of office and was confirmed as keeper of the Scottish Seal.
The new first minister now faces the task of appointing his cabinet, with former finance secretary Kate Forbes expected to take a senior role. Mr Swinney has indicated he intends to govern on a 'moderate centre left' platform and will seek to work collaboratively across parliament, despite leading a minority administration of 63 MSPs.
Mr Swinney's priorities include the economy, the NHS, and lifting children out of poverty. He has ruled out resurrecting the power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens, which was torn up by his predecessor Humza Yousaf, prompting Yousaf's resignation after just over a year in office.
