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John Swinney has been confirmed as the next leader of the SNP after an unknown Scottish independence activist briefly caused panic within the party and then refused the leadership post under threat.
This means Mr Swinney, 60, enjoyed his coronation unopposed amid the turmoil following the resignation of Humza Yousaf last week, with the support of many party leaders.
The SNP veteran could be sworn in as Scottish First Minister as early as Tuesday, with MSPs expected to select him at Holyrood sometime within the next two days.
The former deputy first minister has held senior positions in the governments of Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon and is seen as a safe bet following a period of turmoil in the SNP.
But because of his closeness with both Ms Sturgeon and Mr Yousaf, he faces the difficult task of fending off accusations that he is a “continuity” figure “offering more of the same”.
This is not the first time a Perthshire MSP has led the SNP. He served as opposition party leader from 2000 to 2004, but resigned after a series of disappointing election results.
Leading pollster Professor John Curtis said Mr Swinney was “not very good” at leading the SNP. The party made no gains in the 2001 general election and lost eight MSPs in the 2003 Holyrood election.
Before he resigned, Mr Swinney was warned by former adviser Michael Russell to expect a visit from “men in gray kilts” and told him it was time to step down.
Now, the same SNP bosses are paving the way for Mr Swinney’s return to the top, but he faces a very different set of challenges.
After a turbulent year under Yousaf, Mr Swinney took office to unite the SNP and shore up the party’s sagging votes by proving he could run a stable and reliable minority government. .
Prof Curtis suggested Mr Yousaf’s ouster was the “worst thing a trade unionist could have done”, as Mr Siwini had been given a chance to restore the party’s previous competent reputation. did.
Mr Swinney, who has three children and is married to BBC reporter Elizabeth Quigley, joined the SNP in 1979 at the age of 15.
A graduate of the University of Edinburgh and a career in the insurance industry, he was elected Westminster MP for North Tayside in 1997 and became MSP of the University of Holyroodhouse in 1999.
He has never been considered a charismatic politician. During his first term, Sean Connery, a prominent Scottish independence supporter and James Bond star, reportedly thought Mr Swinney was too boring to lead.
But he remains highly regarded within the party, earning him the nickname “Honest John” for his 10 years managing the economy as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Salmond and Sturgeon governments.
Mr. Swinney also deftly overcame a major hurdle last week. He manages to persuade his only potential rival, 34-year-old Kate Forbes, to get a job in the government.
He has publicly offered to give Mr Forbes a “key” role, but it is unclear whether he will make the ambitious, socially conservative MSP deputy leader in a bid to end divisions within the SNP.
Mr Swinney has been in disrepute since last year when he questioned whether it was “appropriate” for someone with Forbes’ views – she would not have voted to legalize same-sex marriage – to be leader of the SNP.
Mr Swinney, a member of the Church of Scotland, describes himself as a person of “deep Christian faith”. But he has proven himself to be a social liberal, supporting attempts to introduce the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, which would make it easier for transgender people to identify. The bill was ultimately blocked by the British government.
He has signaled a desire to break away from some of the left-wing, Green Party-led policies of the past three years, saying the net zero transition must be “with, not against” Scotland’s oil and gas industry. I agreed with Mr. Forbes that it should be done.
During his first four years as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr Swinney was forced to steer the budget through Holyrood with opposition support. Mr Yousaf faces the same challenge again after his decision to abandon his coalition agreement with the Scottish Greens.
Swinney said he will be in this job for the long term. He insists he is a “non-caretaker” Prime Minister and can lead the party beyond the 2026 Holyrood election.
But that will depend on the outcome of the general election, Mr Forbes’ ambitions and whether Mr Siwiny can act as another broomstick to clean up the SNP’s recent problems.