John Swinney John Ramsay Swinney (born 13 April 1964) is a Scottish politician who has served as First Minister of Scotland, first minister of Scotland since 2024. Swinney has served as Leader of the Scottish National Party, leader of the Scottish National ...

formed the Swinney government on 8 May 2024, following his appointment as

First Minister of Scotland The first minister of Scotland () is the head of government of Scotland. The first minister leads the Scottish Government, the Executive (government), executive branch of the devolved government and is th ...

at the

Court of Session The Court of Session is the highest national court of Scotland in relation to Civil law (common law), civil cases. The court was established in 1532 to take on the judicial functions of the royal council. Its jurisdiction overlapped with othe ...

. The government was approved by parliamentary vote thanks to the abstention of Scottish Green MSPs. Swinney's government was announced on 8 May following his tenure as first minister beginning, and includes eleven cabinet secretaries, the majority of whom are women, with the youngest deputy first minister,

Kate Forbes Kate Elizabeth Forbes (born 6 April 1990) is a Scottish politician who has served as deputy first minister of Scotland, Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic since May 2024. A member of the Scottish Natio ...

, being appointed by Swinney. The majority of members of the government were part of the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

under Swinney's predecessor,

Humza Yousaf Humza Haroon Yousaf (; born 7 April 1985) is a Scottish politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) from March 2023 to May 2024. He served under his predecessor Nicola Sturgeon as Scottish ...

's second administration. Newly appointed cabinet secretaries who were not part of the previous administration were appointed as cabinet secretary designates, pending approval by

members of the Scottish Parliament Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP; ; ) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. Electoral system The additional member system produces a form of proportional representation, where ...

and receiving approval by the incumbent monarch.

History

On 29 April 2024,

announced his intention to resign the leadership of the Scottish National Party, and as First Minister. Swinney announced his candidacy for the internal leadership contest, and was elected unopposed.

Shona Robison Shona McRory Robison (born 26 May 1966) is a Scottish politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she previously served as Deputy First Minister of Sc ...

resigned as Deputy First Minister on 8 May in favour of

, but was re-appointed as Swinney's Finance Secretary with additional responsibility for local government. The majority of Swinney's cabinet was previously part of Humza Yousaf's previous governments. The only addition to the cabinet was Kate Forbes replacing Shona Robison as

Deputy First Minister of Scotland The deputy first minister of Scotland is the second highest minister in the executive branch of the Scottish Government, after the First Minister of Scotland, first minister of Scotland. The post-holder deputises for the first minister during ...

, and taking part of

Màiri McAllan Màiri Louise McAllan (born 14 February 1993) is a Scottish politician serving as Cabinet Secretary for Housing since 2025. She has previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy from 2024 to 2025, Cabinet Secretary for Transp ...

's responsibility for economy into her portfolio as

Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic The Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic is a position in the Scottish cabinet since May 2024. The current Cabinet Secretary is Kate Forbes, who has served since May 2024 alongside her role as Deputy First Minister. The Cabinet Secretary is ...

. Robison was, however, re-appointed by Swinney as Finance Secretary with additional responsibility for local government, with McAllan appointed as the reduced portfolio of

Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy is a Scottish Government Cabinet position with responsibility for the Net Zero and energy (where not reserved) policy of Scotland. The incumbent is Gillian Martin who has held the brief since ...

. Additionally, only one new junior minister joined Swinney's government, former minister

Ivan McKee Ivan Paul McKee (born September 1963) is a Scottish politician who has served as Minister for Public Finance since May 2024. He previously served as Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Sco ...

, with the number of junior ministerial posts being reduced from 16 to 14. The portfolio of

Minister for Employment and Investment The Minister for Employment and Investment, commonly referred to as the Employment Minister was a junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister did not attend the Scottish Cabinet. The minister reported to the C ...

was created, with Tom Arthur appointed to the role. The ministers for

independence Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state, in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the status of ...

and

culture Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

were abolished, with their incumbents

Jamie Hepburn James Douglas Hepburn (born 21 May 1979) is a Scottish politician who has served as the Minister for Parliamentary Business since May 2024. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he has been Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for ...

and

Kaukab Stewart Kaukab Stewart (born 1967 or 1968) is a Pakistani-born Scottish politician who has served as Minister for Equalities since May 2024. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), she has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Gl ...

moved to other positions.

Joe FitzPatrick Joseph Martin FitzPatrick (born 1 April 1967) is a Scottish politician who most recently served as Minister for Local Government Empowerment and Planning from March 2023 to May 2024. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he has been ...

local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of a higher-level political or administrative unit, such a ...

position was abolished, and he therefore departed government along with Equalities Minister

Emma Roddick Emma Roddick (born 30 July 1997) is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician. Emma served as the Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees between 2023 and 2024; stepping down when John Swinney was appointed first minister She has been ...

and Parliamentary Business Minister

George Adam George James Adam (born 8 June 1969) is a Scottish politician who served as the Minister for Parliamentary Business from 2021 to 2024. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for P ...

Approval and cabinet adjustments

The

Scottish Parliament The Scottish Parliament ( ; ) is the Devolution in the United Kingdom, devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. It is located in the Holyrood, Edinburgh, Holyrood area of Edinburgh, and is frequently referred to by the metonym 'Holyrood'. ...

formally approved the appointments of

and

on 9 May 2024. Prior to Swinney's appointment, it was announced in February 2024 that

would be taking maternity leave. From 1 July 2024, McAllan began her maternity leave.

Gillian Martin Gillian Anne Martin is a Scottish politician who has served as Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy since June 2025. She previously served as Minister for Climate Action between 2023 and 2025, and as Acting Cabinet Secretary for N ...

was appointed as Acting Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Energy, and

Alasdair Allan Alasdair James Allan (born 6 May 1971) is a Scottish politician serving as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Na h-Eileanan an Iar constituency since 2007. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he served in the Scottis ...

was appointed as Acting Minister for Climate Action. In June 2025, Swinney conducted a minor reshuffle following McAllan's return from maternity leave. Martin was appointed to the position of

Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy The Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy is a Scottish Government Cabinet position with responsibility for the Net Zero and energy (where not reserved) policy of Scotland. The incumbent is Gillian Martin who has held the brief since ...

and McAllan was given the new post of Cabinet Secretary for Housing. Dr Allan departed government as did Minister for Housing,

Paul McLennan Paul Stewart McLennan is a Scottish politician who served as Minister for Housing between 2023 and 2025. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for East Lothian since 2021. He has ...

Maree Todd Maree Todd is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross since May 2021. She was previously an MSP for the Highlands and Islands from the election i ...

was made Minister for Drugs & Alcohol Policy and Sport, filling the post which had been left vacant following the death of

Christina McKelvie Christina McKelvie (4 March 1968 – 27 March 2025) was a Scottish politician and social worker who was a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP). She was the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse fro ...

in March 2025. Tom Arthur replaced Todd as Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing and his economy brief was absorbed by

Richard Lochhead Richard Neilson Lochhead (born 24 May 1969) is a Scottish politician serving as the Minister for Business and Employment since 2023. A member of the Scottish National Party (SNP), he served as the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and ...

who went from Minister for Business to

Minister for Business and Employment The Minister for Business and Employment is a Junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government. As a result, the Minister does not attend the Scottish Cabinet. The post was retitled in June 2025, with the Minister supporting the Deputy First M ...

Cabinet

May 2024 – June 2025

June 2025 - Present

List of junior ministers

May 2024 to June 2025

June 2025 to present

Scottish law officers

Notes

References

{{Scottish National Party 2024 establishments in Scotland Cabinets established in 2024 Scottish governments

Government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

Current governments in Europe Ministries of Charles III