John Swinney
John Ramsay Swinney is a Scottish politician who has served as First Minister of Scotland since 2024. Swinney has served as Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) twice; between 2000 and 2004, and since 2024. He has held various roles within the Scottish Cabinet from 2007 to 2023 under First Ministers Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon. Swinney was Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for North Tayside from 1999 to 2011 and, following boundary changes, has been MSP for Perthshire North since 2011. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tayside from 1997 to 2001.
Standing...
Stories...
Jul 15, 2026
Lean Right
SNP leader under pressure after a police investigation into party finances and falling poll ratings.
Conservatives highlight SNP turmoil as proof that Scottish independence is a distraction and Labour is too soft on the Union.
Jul 13, 2026
Lean Right
Scottish First Minister pushing for independence again.
Conservatives oppose independence and his high-tax agenda.
Jul 8, 2026
Lean Right
The Scottish First Minister is struggling with internal SNP divisions and a stalled independence campaign.
Conservatives view him as a weak leader who cannot deliver his core promise of separation.
Jul 7, 2026
Lean Right
Scottish First Minister grappling with SNP financial scandal and declining poll numbers.
Conservatives view SNP as failing on education and economy, weakening independence case.
Jul 3, 2026
Center
The First Minister of Scotland may have commented on the identification of the Scottish man's skeletal remains, a tragic cross-border story.
Lib Dems note the human cost but see this as a reminder of the need for closer cross-border cooperation between Scotland and the rest of the UK, especially in missing persons cases.
Jun 5, 2026
Center
As SNP leader, Swinney publicly confirmed the party is in talks with HMRC over potential illegal VAT claims linked to the Murrell embezzlement case.
Lib Dems will credit Swinney for disclosure but argue that the scale of the scandal, reaching now into potential tax fraud, raises serious questions about SNP internal oversight under his and previous leadership.