has been nominated as the
seventh First Minister of Scotland, following a vote in the
Scottish Parliament today.
MSPs voted 64 to 57 to select Mr Swinney as First Minister from a
total of four nominees. There were seven abstentions.
Mr Swinney is anticipated to be formally appointed as First
Minister this afternoon with a Royal Warrant from His Majesty
King Charles III. He will be officially sworn in at the Court of
Session on Wednesday, where he will take the Official Oath in
front of the Lord President of the Court of Session and other
senior judges.
First Minister-designate said:
“It is an extraordinary privilege and it is my honour to accept
the office of First Minister, committing myself to do the best I
can for Scotland.
“I will be unapologetic about bringing to this Parliament the
measures we can take to eradicate child poverty and I look
forward to seeking the support of others to achieve that aim. I
recognise, that is how it is going to have to work. I am leading
a minority Government. I will need to reach out to others to make
things happen. If we want to fund our schools and our 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 to work
together to do so.
“I commit my Government to working to create that agreement
across the Chamber. I hope there is the space and the willingness
for that to happen in the interests of the people who sent us
here.
“To the people of Scotland I would simply say this. I offer
myself to be the First Minister for everyone in Scotland. I am
here to serve you. I will give everything I have to build the
best future for our country.”
