Swinney promises a fresh chapter
JOHN Swinney promised a “new chapter” as he took over as SNP leader yesterday, admitting his party has been through “a rough time”. He was speaking after being confirmed as the only candidate to succeed Humza Yousaf, who announced last Monday he was stepping down as both SNP leader and First Minister.
Swinney said he was “deeply honoured” to take on the role, promising to “give all that I have to serve my party and my country”.
It is the second time Swinney has been named as SNP leader, but this time he is also now likely to be first minister. After Yousaf ended the powersharing Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens, Swinney will have to operate a minority administration.
He promised to “seek compromises that serve our nation well” as he told the other parties at Holyrood that their opposition to independence was not a reason not to work with him on areas such as health and jobs. Swinney pledged he would “seek to find common ground” and “join together in coalitions of the willing and solve the problems our country faces”.
The new SNP leader – who has already pledged to lead a centre-left government – told people in Scotland: “If elected first minister, my focus will be the economy, jobs, the cost of living. It will be the National Health Service, our schools and our public services. It will be addressing the climate crisis.”
He said he would “seek, with respect and courtesy, to persuade people of the case for independence”. But he insisted that rival parties’ opposition to this was “not a reason for them to refuse to work with us to build the economy, support jobs and improve the health service”.
His appointment as SNP leader for a second time – he previously held the post between 2000-04 – came exactly a week after Yousaf’s resignation. At the start of his speech at Glasgow University, Swinney paid tribute to his predecessor, hailing Yousaf’s “moral leadership on the issue of Gaza”, adding he would “continue to make a substantial contribution to the public life of Scotland”.
But Swinney said his appointment as SNP leader was “the beginning of a new chapter” for the party. While he said the SNP have “faced a rough time recently as a party” he insisted the fact he was the only candidate to be the next leader “demonstrates the Scottish National Party is coming back together again now”.
Swinney said he wanted to “create a modern, diverse, dynamic Scotland”, adding that the “polarisation of politics does not serve our country well”. He said: “Too often, too many people are too busy fighting to win battles when we should be seeking solutions to problems. We need to stop shouting at each other and talk to each other. More than that, actually, we need to listen. And as first minister, I will do exactly that.”
Yousaf congratulated his successor, as he urged SNP members to “get behind John and his team so they can deliver for Scotland”.
But Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said of Swinney: “It’s difficult to see how he can be the fresh start Scotland needs, when he’s the ultimate continuity candidate.
“The SNP will double down on their independence obsession – the one issue they agree on – and ignore the real priorities of the Scottish people, such as fixing our ailing public services and growing the economy.”
Scottish Labour’s Anas Sarwar said: “At a time when Scotland is crying out for change, the SNP is offering more of the same. John Swinney has been at the heart of this incompetent government for 17 years.”
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: “As his party’s leader and a former wingman to both Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon, John Swinney is now answerable for the SNP’s appalling neglect of public services over the past 17 years.”