Deputy First Minister John Swinney is quitting government after nearly 16 years, despite admitting he wrestled with the idea that he could have taken on the top job himself.
The Perthshire politician said he thought about standing as first minister after Nicola Sturgeon’s shock resignation speech last month.
But after multiple roles in government, including time as the longest serving deputy first minister, he decided the next leader should be a clean break.
“I could have done it, and I thought about it, but this is the right thing to do,” he told us on Thursday after formally announcing his resignation.
John Swinney will remain an MSP
Mr Swinney, who has served as finance secretary and education secretary, said it had been the “privilege of my life” to be in the Scottish Government for almost 16 years.
He said he would continue at Holyrood as the MSP for Perthshire North.
The long-serving politician said he looked forward to sitting on the back benches “to continue our contribution to Scotland’s cause”.
He has been finance secretary twice, education secretary and took charge of the SNP’s Covid recovery plan.
“These have been demanding commitments to fulfil over nearly 16 years and I have decided that, when the First Minister is appointed later in March, I will stand down from government,” he wrote in a letter published on Thursday afternoon.
“When I joined the Scottish National Party at the age of 15 in 1979, our political prospects were poor and I could scarcely have imagined that over so many years I would have the opportunity to serve Scotland in government in the way I have.”
In reply, Ms Sturgeon said his contribution has been “unique”.
She added: “I could not have wished for a better partner in government than you, and there is no doubt that our Scottish Government would have achieved much less had you not been in it.”
Swinney quits during SNP leadership contest
Mr Swinney’s decision to leave the Scottish Government was announced during the contest to replace the outgoing first minister.
The three candidates are Health Secretary Humza Yousaf, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and former community safety minister Ash Regan.
SNP members will choose their new leader in a ballot later this month. Voting closes on March 27.
Who is John Swinney?
Mr Swinney rose quickly through the party ranks to become national secretary then depute leader by 2000.
He was elected MP for the old North Tayside seat at Westminster in 1997.
He switched to Holyrood at the first election in 1999 and went on to become SNP leader. But it ended in disappointed with a loss of MSPs at subsequent elections.
After a spell on the back benches between 2004 and 2007 he entered government as part of Alex Salmond’s landmark SNP breakthrough.
He was finance secretary until the independence referendum in 2014 then deputy first minister under Ms Sturgeon when Mr Salmond quit.
He is married with children and lives near Blairgowrie.
Conversation