John Swinney: I’ll work with Unionists if they park independence opposition

John Swinney has offered to work with Scotland’s Unionist parties if they park their opposition to independence, as he was voted in as the new First Minister.

Mr Swinney acknowledged the deep divisions in the Holyrood chamber over independence, but argued that MSPs should ask whether these “prevent us from working collaboratively within the existing powers of the parliament”.

In an attempt to reinvent himself as a peacemaker, following years of barracking opposition MSPs, he said he wanted to collaborate with them to improve Scotland’s ailing NHS and economy.

After being elected the new First Minister, he immediately crossed the chamber floor to shake the hands of Douglas Ross and Anas Sarwar, respectively the Scottish Tory and Labour leaders.

Mr Ross had earlier urged him to treat his election as a “reset moment” and end the “decade of division that has plagued our country” since the 2014 independence referendum.

He said Mr Swinney should “put campaigning for independence on the backburner” and argued the minority SNP government should reach out to the “whole parliament” rather than only the pro-separation Greens.

However, he said Mr Swinney was the “continuity candidate” after Nicola Sturgeon and Humza Yousaf, leading to “the same distracted nationalist government, run by the same people, that we’ve seen for the last 17 years.”

Mr Sarwar challenged the SNP to stop accusing its opponents of being “traitors” to Scotland and mocked the “pretence of them somehow being the great unifiers of our nation”.

He also gave a scathing assessment of Mr Swinney’s record in office, describing him as the “worst education secretary in the history of our parliament” and highlighting his deletion of all his WhatsApps from the pandemic.

“We need to see an end to the culture of secrecy and cover-up but I fear the SNP have elected to the highest office one of its champions,” the Scottish Labour leader said.

Mr Swinney was formally elected First Minister hours after Humza Yousaf submitted his resignation to the King. His nomination was backed by the SNP’s 64 MSPs, while the seven Greens abstained, giving him the required majority.

The 60-year-old, who was previously SNP leader between 2000 and 2004, will be sworn in as First Minister at the Court of Session on Wednesday morning.

He will then unveil his new Cabinet, with a prominent role expected for Kate Forbes after she agreed to his pleas not to stand against him for the party leadership, meaning he did not face a contest.

It is a remarkable comeback for Mr Swinney, who was deputy first minister in Ms Sturgeon’s government and stepped down from the Scottish Cabinet in tandem with her in March last year.

It had been assumed his career in frontline politics was over but Mr Yousaf’s ignominious fall from power, after he botched his decision to end his power-sharing deal with the Greens, left the SNP in crisis.

In a speech to MSPs following his election as First Minister, he admitted it was “something of a surprise” to accept the office and said that eradicating child poverty would be his government’s priority.

He admitted he would lead a minority administration that needed the votes of other parties and noted the Scottish Parliament is “intensely polarised at this time.”

To laughter, Mr Swinney said: “I accept my part in creating that environment – whether that is by shouted put-downs from the front bench or heckling from a sedentary position. I do promise, Presiding Officer, that will all stop – I have changed.”

He acknowledged that Holyrood was divided on independence but asked: “Does our disagreement on the constitution prevent us from working collaboratively within the existing powers of the parliament to eradicate child poverty, build the economy, support jobs, address the cost of living crisis, improve the health service and tackle the climate crisis?

“I will give all of my energy, and my willingness to engage and listen, to ensure that is not the case. I invite others to do the same.”

Mr Yousaf’s ‘most prominent supporter’

Mr Swinney also paid tribute to his wife Elizabeth, who has multiple sclerosis and was watching from the gallery, saying he wanted to express his “profound eternal gratitude for the sacrifices she is prepared to make to enable her husband to serve our country as First Minister.”

Mr Ross noted Mr Swinney had been Alex Salmond’s Finance Secretary, Ms Sturgeon’s deputy and Mr Yousaf’s “most prominent supporter”.

“Scotland waits to see whether he will be a nationalist leader, like his predecessors, or a national leader that Scotland needs to take our country forward,” Mr Ross said.

Alister Jack, the Scottish Secretary, congratulated Mr Swinney but said: “He needs to put aside his obsession with independence, and concentrate on contributing to a thriving Scotland within a strong United Kingdom.”

Ms Sturgeon tweeted: “I have worked closely with John Swinney for more than 30 years. He was by my side throughout my time as FM - as deputy, friend and confidante.

“He is one of the kindest and most decent people I know - and without doubt, the right person to be FM in this moment, for both party and country.”