Kate Forbes becomes deputy first minister as John Swinney unveils Cabinet
John Swinney has been accused of assembling a "continuity Cabinet” that would prove a "recipe for disappointment” as Kate Forbes was thrown back onto the frontline of Scottish politics after being named as the new First Minister’s deputy.
Mr Swinney, in his first act as First Minister after being sworn in at the Court of Session in Edinburgh, announced Ms Forbes, the former finance secretary, would deputise for him after Humza Yousaf’s second-in-command, Shona Robison, agreed to step aside to make way.
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Hide AdMs Robison will retain her brief as finance secretary, while Ms Forbes will twin her role as Deputy First Minister with being responsible for the economy and Gaelic. Mr Swinney had made clear his intention to give Ms Forbes a top job if she backed down from entering any SNP leadership contest.
But other than the introduction of Ms Forbes, Mr Swinney has kept the same Cabinet as his predecessor – albeit with a few changes in responsibilities to make way for the Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP – in an arrangement that was branded “a parade of familiar faces”.
Mairi McAllan. who will take maternity leave this summer, has lost her economy brief, but remains net zero and energy secretary. Jenny Gilruth was retained as education secretary, while Fiona Hyslop continues as transport secretary and Neil Gray holds on to the all-important health and social care portfolios.
Angela Constance was retained as justice secretary and Shirley-Anne Somerville remains across social justice. Mairi Gougeon has likewise been kept on the rural affairs porfolio and Angus Robertson continues as constitution and external affairs secretary.
But the appointment of Ms Forbes has caused some upset, particularly from the Scottish Greens, over her socially conservative views, including her opposition to equal marriage and couples having children out of wedlock. Ms Forbes's appointment will be regarded as a message to the right-wing of the SNP and could potentially shut off any immediate support from the Greens.
Patrick Harvie, co-leader of the Greens, who tweeted a “no right turn” road sign after the announcement, claimed “there will be many people across our country who will be very concerned” at the move. He said voters “will want to know that this Scottish Government remains committed to a greener and more equal future for Scotland”.
“The Scotland that we want to build is one where everyone is free to be themselves and where climate action is at the forefront of our politics,” he said. “The First Minister must lay out his programme and his vision for Scotland, and where these values lie within it.”
Other opposition parties also criticised the return of Ms Forbes.
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Hide AdScottish Conservative chairman Craig Hoy said her comeback was “a desperate attempt by both John Swinney and his new deputy to gloss over the huge splits in the SNP and fixate on independence”.
He said: “A year ago, Mr Swinney questioned whether Kate Forbes was an ‘appropriate individual’ to lead the SNP, but now he deems her fit to be his second-in-command. Similarly, Ms Forbes, who warned that ‘continuity won’t cut it’, has now joined a Cabinet with continuity at its core in return for a top job under Nicola Sturgeon’s right-hand man.”
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: “Once again the SNP is putting its own party interest before the country’s interest with this uninspiring reshuffle. This is a continuity Cabinet that cannot be trusted to fix the chaos and instability they have created. With two of the former finance secretaries responsible for trashing public finances now in the top jobs, more SNP chaos lies ahead.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton criticised Mr Swinney largely keeping the same front-bench team as his predecessor, warning that “relying on all the same ingredients is a recipe for disappointment”.
He said: “This parade of familiar faces proves that nobody in the SNP ever pays the price despite one in seven Scots being stuck on NHS waiting lists, sewage dumping in our rivers reaching record levels, and islanders waiting forever for ferries.”
Mr Swinney said his Cabinet “blends experience and energy, with a strong focus on the priorities my Government will pursue”, pointing to “eradicating child poverty, driving economic growth, meeting climate obligations and investing in our vital public services”.
“My overriding priority will be to work to eradicate child poverty in Scotland – an issue on which real progress has been made through measures such as the Scottish Child Payment,” he said.
“The Government I lead will maximise every lever at our disposal to tackle the scourge of poverty in our country.”
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Hide AdMs Forbes said she was “deeply honoured” to be appointed as his deputy, describing it as an “extraordinary privilege”. She said: “I look forward to working with John and Cabinet colleagues, delivering for the people of Scotland and building a better country.”
John Swinney becomes First Minister LIVE: Cabinet reshuffle expected today
Key Events
- John Swinney is set to be sworn in as First Minister at the Court of Session
- He will announce his cabinet at Bute House later today
- All eyes are on Kate Forbes - what "significant role" will she be given in cabinet?
First Minister John Swinney and Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes have just spoken to the media outside Bute House after unveiling their cabinet.
Mr Swinney said: “We have got to make sure we are clear with the people of Scotland about our priorities.
“I’ve set out that the government under my leadership, supported by the deputy first minister, will be focused on centre-left policy, building on the work to take forward eradicating child poverty, stimulating the economy, and ensuring successful public services.
“That is the anchor we will work with parliament to advance those issues and will seek common ground with all political parties.
“We are operating as a minority so we don’t have command of the chamber, so the onus is on everyone to engage in constructive discussions on how parliament can work together for the people of Scotland.”
Kate Forbes has also been asked about how she can be deputy first minister when she has socially conservative views.
Her campaign to become First Minister last year was derailed after she said she opposes gay marriage and is anti-abortion.
Speaking to the media outside Bute House she said: “The First Minister has been very clear that he cares about finding more consensus in our politics and uniting the country and parliament behind the big opportunities ahead.
“I see my job as supporting him in his mission to lead cabinet and government in finding places of consensus, because ultimately the people of Scotland depend on us to get it right.”
Mr Swinney then said: “Listen carefully to the words I concluded with yesterday - I will be the First Minister for everyone in Scotland, everyone.
“Whether they are part of the LGBT community or not, I will be a First Minister for everyone and the government will be a government for all the people of this country.”
We’ve just had a written statement through from John Swinney on the appointment of his cabnet.
He said: “Ahead of my appointment as First Minister, I committed to working collaboratively across the parliament to address the pressing issues facing the people of Scotland.
“With that in mind, I have selected a cabinet team that blends experience and energy, with a strong focus on the priorities my government will pursue - eradicating child poverty, driving economic growth, meeting climate obligations and investing in our vital public services.
“My overriding priority will be to work to eradicate child poverty in Scotland, an issue on which real progress has been made through measures such as the Scottish Child Payment.
“The government I lead will maximise every lever at our disposal to tackle the scourge of poverty in our country.
“A strong economy supports the delivery of services on which people depend - health, education, housing and transport - and so each of these areas are aligned to distinct roles in my cabinet, with a focus on ensuring people see their lives improve as a result of the actions of their Scottish Government.
“I believe that Scotland’s future is best served as an independent country - but I recognise more people need to be convinced of that before independence can be achieved.
“My cabinet will also focus efforts on reaching out to those who remain unconvinced, with respect and courtesy, to ensure that the people of Scotland have the democratic right to choose their own future.”
The Scottish Conservatives are clearly unimpressed with the new cabinet - its chairman Craig Hoy MSP says this is just Humza Yousaf’s cabinet with a different figurehead.
He also says making Kate Forbes the deputy first minister is a “desperate attempt” to cover up the rifts in the party.
Mr Hoy said: “A year ago, Mr Swinney questioned whether Kate Forbes was an ‘appropriate individual’ to lead the SNP, but now he deems her fit to be his second in command.
“Similarly, Ms Forbes, who warned that ‘continuity won’t cut it’, has now joined a cabinet with continuity at its core in return for a top job under Nicola Sturgeon's right-hand man.
“This uninspiring cabinet is further evidence that John Swinney as First Minister will just mean more of the same.
“His fingerprints are all over the failed SNP policies that have damaged Scotland, while he’s already doubled down on the SNP’s independence obsession, instead of focusing on the public’s real priorities such as fixing our ailing public services and growing the economy.”
He added: “When the election comes, voters will have the chance to punish the feuding, failing, distracted SNP and get the focus back on the issues that matter - and, in key seats across Scotland, it’s only the Scottish Conservatives who can beat them.”
John Swinney has already spoken to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, and says his Scottish Government will work with the UK Government to reduce “polarisation in politics”.
It’s fair to say the two governments haven’t exactly been on the best of terms off late.
The pair had a phone call this afternoon.
A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said: “The First Minister spoke with the Prime Minister this afternoon and confirmed that the Scottish Government stands ready to work constructively with the UK Government in a good-faith effort to deliver for the people of Scotland and reduce polarisation in politics.
“The First Minister set out his determination to eradicate child poverty and urged the UK Government to work with him towards that goal by changing course on policies such as the two-child benefit cap which are causing misery for many families in Scotland.
“Mr Swinney set out the need for a change in the UK Government’s economic policy and an end to austerity, in order to allow the Scottish economy to reach its full potential, support business, tackle the cost-of-living crisis and to allow for further investment to improve vital public services like the NHS and schools.
“The First Minister made clear that the Scottish Government will continue to respectfully persuade people in Scotland of the case for independence, and that the decision on Scotland’s future should be for the people of Scotland to make.”
Our Education Correspondent Calum Ross has given his analysis of what lies ahead for Jenny Gilruth, who is returning as Scotland’s education secretary.
Jenny Gilruth’s top priority, now she has been reappointed Cabinet secretary for education and skills, must be to end the paralysis gripping Scottish education.
The impasse has seemingly been caused, in part, by the dozens of recommendations on the future of schools, colleges and universities that have been made in a series of reports, some of which were commissioned by John Swinney, the new First Minister, in his time as education secretary.
Decisions on these recommendations – on the likes of overhauling school qualifications and the way skills are delivered – were previously pushed back by Ms Gilruth, as was legislation on replacing the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and Education Scotland.
She said she wanted the time to “knit together a narrative linking” the “plethora of different reports”, while she has also indicated she did not want to foist change on schools and education bodies while they were still dealing with the fall-out from the Covid-19 pandemic, including rising school violence and falling pupil attendance.
At the same time, concerns have been growing about the future of both the university and college sectors, in the wake of ongoing budget cuts.
Ms Gilruth has spoken of the need to prioritise tight resources towards early years and younger generations, but also has to defend a £900m annual spend on free university tuition.
The debate over the funding of further and higher education will continue, however a series of key decisions are required in the next few weeks, focussed on schools.
Ms Gilruth was already due to unveil details of the successors to the SQA and Education Scotland before the end of June.
She was also expected to give her response to the Hayward review on the future of exams and assessments, as well as producing an action plan to tackle school violence.
The Cabinet secretary was always well placed to keep her job, because a change at the top could have led to further delays to these pieces of work, which would have been exasperating for everyone who has been left in limbo as they awaited decisions.
Now she has been reappointed, Ms Gilruth must finally show the narrative she has been knitting, and start delivering it as a matter of urgency.
Scottish Labour are unsurprisingly using the cabinet announcement as another opportunity to call for an early Scottish election.
They of course tried to get one last week by holding a vote of no confidence in the Scottish Government, which lost.
The party’s deputy leader Dame Jackie Baillie MSP said: “Once again the SNP is putting its own party interest before the country’s interest with this uninspiring reshuffle.
“After 17 years of failure, every single institution in Scotland is now weaker and those responsible remain at the heart of government.
“This is a continuity cabinet that cannot be trusted to fix the chaos and instability they have created.
“With two of the former finance secretaries responsible for trashing public finances now in the top jobs, more SNP chaos lies ahead.
“Scotland needs change and the people of Scotland know continuity won’t cut it - we need an election.
“Only Scottish Labour can put a stop to the division and decline of the SNP and deliver the fresh start our country needs.”
And not to be forgotten, the Scottish Lib Dems say this cabinet is a “recipe for disappointment”.
Its leader Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: “We need ministers that won’t make empty promises but will get the basics right.
“Relying on all the same ingredients is a recipe for disappointment.
“This parade of familiar faces proves that nobody in the SNP ever pays the price despite one in seven Scots being stuck on NHS waiting lists, sewage dumping in our rivers reaching record levels, and islanders waiting forever for ferries.
“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to bring people back together, putting Scotland at the heart of a reformed UK and fixing our broken relationship with Europe.
“We want to help everyone who can’t get a GP appointment or see an NHS dentist, support our schools and deliver for business.
“It’s time for change.”
Here’s a photograph of the new Scottish cabinet posing on the front steps of Bute House, led by First Minister John Swinny and Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes.
We’ve got some analysis now from our Transport Correspondent Alastair Dalton, on what the Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop has to deal with.
The transport sector will have heaved a huge sigh of relief that Fiona Hyslop will continue as transport secretary - and they won’t have to start again with a new minister at the helm.
Ferries have loomed large among her responsibilities since becoming transport minister last June before being promoted to cabinet rank in February. Finally getting the first of two hugely-delayed CalMac vessels in service will be a significant political milestone.
But the pressure to have Glen Sannox carrying passengers, now expected in October, could yet build further if more ships in the Scottish Government-owned operator’s ageing fleet develop faults over the busy summer period.
Ms Hyslop will also have to decide on the fate of CalMac’s itself - whether to award the UK’s biggest ferry firm a new contract when the existing one runs out this autumn.
However, an even more pressing decision will be over the future of ScotRail’s peak fares suspension pilot, which finishes at the end of next month.
Ms Hyslop told The Scotsman in April she would like to extend it further if funding was available and the nine-month experiment persuaded people to switch from cars to trains.
Senior rail industry sources expect it to be continued, but the move costs the equivalent of £30 million a year - money that other Scottish Government departments will look at enviously.
An update over Scottish Government-owned ScotRail phasing out its remaining diesel trains is awaited, with train drivers union Aslef agitating for early replacement of the 40-year-old High Speed Trains over safety concerns following the fatal derailment near Stonehaven in 2020.
The trains are due to be decommissioned by 2030 and ScotRail operating a zero-emission fleet by 2035 - with the latter is likely to be put back.
But perhaps Ms Hyslop’s biggest challenge will be setting out a credible path to achieving the Scottish Government’s ambitious target of reducing road traffic by 20 per cent by 2030, which is still awaited more than three years after it was announced.
Paradoxically, ministers’ revised commitment to completing dualling the A9 between Perth and Inverness by 2035 is likely to make this even more difficult - while also maintaining the project’s momentum after failing to complete the job by 2025.
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