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John Swinney is a Scottish politician who serves as First Minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party. He was first appointed First Minister in May 2024 and was reappointed following the 2026 Scottish Parliament election.
Born in 1964, Swinney joined the SNP in 1979 and graduated from the University of Edinburgh with an MA (Hons) in Politics. Before entering Parliament, he worked for the Scottish Coal Project, Development Options and Scottish Amicable.
He was elected as the MP for North Tayside in 1997 and became an MSP when the Scottish Parliament was established in 1999. He served as SNP deputy leader from 1998 to 2000 and as party leader from 2000 to 2004.
Swinney returned to senior government after the SNP entered office in 2007, holding a series of major portfolios including finance, education and Covid recovery. He served as Deputy First Minister between 2014 and 2023.
He represents Perthshire North in the Scottish Parliament and was re-elected for the constituency in 2026. As First Minister, he is head of the Scottish Government and chairs the Scottish Cabinet.
John Swinney's Scottish Government has demanded a Scottish Visa, Rural Visa and Scottish Graduate Visa just a day after publishing its draft legislation for another independence referendum.
First Minister John Swinney has published a draft Bill for a second Scottish independence referendum, but Holyrood still needs Westminster to transfer the legal powers required to hold the vote.