John Swinney

John Ramsay Swinney (born 13 April 1964) is a Scottish politician who is the First Minister of Scotland since 2024. He was the Deputy First Minister of Scotland from 2014 to 2023. He had several cabinet roles with First Ministers Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon from 2007 to 2023. Swinney has been a member of the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) since 1999.

John Swinney MSP
Official portrait, 2024
First Minister of Scotland
Incumbent
Assumed office 8 May 2024
Monarch	Charles III
Deputy	Kate Forbes
Preceded by	Humza Yousaf
Leader of the Scottish National Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 May 2024
Depute	Keith Brown
Preceded by	Humza Yousaf
In office 26 September 2000 – 3 September 2004
Depute	Roseanna Cunningham
Preceded by	Alex Salmond
Succeeded by	Alex Salmond
Cabinet offices 2007–2023 Deputy First Minister of Scotland In office 21 November 2014 – 28 March 2023 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Preceded by Nicola Sturgeon Succeeded by Shona Robison Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy Acting 16 July 2022 – 28 March 2023 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Preceded by Kate Forbes Succeeded by Shona Robison (Finance) Neil Gray (Wellbeing Economy, Fair Work and Energy) In office 17 May 2007 – 18 May 2016 First Minister Alex Salmond Nicola Sturgeon Preceded by Tom McCabe Succeeded by Derek Mackay Keith Brown Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery In office 20 May 2021 – 28 March 2023 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Preceded by Office established Succeeded by Office abolished Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills In office 18 May 2016 – 20 May 2021 First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Preceded by Angela Constance Roseanna Cunningham Succeeded by Shirley-Anne Somerville
Party political offices Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party In office 25 August 1998 – 26 September 2000 Leader Alex Salmond Preceded by Allan Macartney Succeeded by Roseanna Cunningham
Parliamentary offices Member of the Scottish Parliament for Perthshire North North Tayside (1999–2011) Incumbent Assumed office 6 May 1999 Preceded by Constituency established Majority 3,336 (9.8%) Member of Parliament for Tayside North In office 1 May 1997 – 14 May 2001 Preceded by Bill Walker Succeeded by Pete Wishart
Personal details
Born	John Ramsay Swinney (1964-04-13) 13 April 1964 Edinburgh, Scotland
Nationality	Scottish
Political party	Scottish National Party
Spouse(s)	Lorna King ​ ​ (m. 1991; div. 1998)​ Elizabeth Quigley ​ (m. 2003)​
Children	3
Relatives	Tom Hunter (uncle)
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh
Website	www.johnswinney.scot

Swinney was the Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from 2000 to 2004. In early May 2024, Swinney announced his candidacy for Leader of the Scottish National Party to replace resigning leader Humza Yousaf. He was elected party leader on 8 May 2024.