Scotland: Swinney Elected SNP Leader, Set to Become First Minister

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Facts

• John Swinney was elected without opposition as the Scottish National Party's (SNP) new leader Monday. The news comes a week after First Minister Humza Yousaf announced his resignation.¹
• Swinney won the position following activist Graeme McCormick's decision to pull out of the race Sunday, and former finance secretary Kate Forbes's announcement last week that she would not run after being offered a 'significant' role in a new government by Swinney.²
• Following Swinney's appointment, the SNP leader will attempt to be approved by Scotland's Parliament as early as Tuesday. The vote date is decided by the parliamentary bureau, while the devolved legislature has 28 days upon Yousaf's official resignation to nominate a replacement.³
• Yousaf resigned a week after the now-former SNP leader ended the Bute House coalition agreement with the Green Party, who later publicly supported a vote of no confidence against the minority SNP Government.⁴
• During his victory speech, Swinney said, 'Scotland wins when the SNP wins' despite 'fac[ing] a rough time recently,' while he reaffirmed the party's commitment to Scottish independence.⁵
• According to YouGov's latest data, the SNP holds 36% of popular support among Scottish adults aged 16 and older in comparison to Labour's 32%, the Conservatives' 16%, and the Liberal Democrats' 9%.⁶

Sources: ¹Guardian, ²BBC News, ³Sky News, ⁴Verity, ⁵snp.org and ⁶yougov.co.uk.

Narratives

• Left narrative, as provided by Independent. Swinney, who has participated in Scottish politics for decades, knows how to play the game well. Instead of bashing anti-independence members of the Scottish parliament, Swinney has set out a cross-party agenda aimed at rejuvenating key sectors, including healthcare and schooling. Scotland has recently endured unnecessary political turmoil, and now it's time for Swinney to bring back normality.
• Right narrative, as provided by The Telegraph. Swinney's entire career is connected to Nicola Sturgeon's tainted legacy and also support for many unpopular gender and hate-speech policies that have led to the downfall of his party. The appointment of Swinney shows that the SNP hasn't learned from its mistakes and is incapable of providing the cure to Scotland's problems.

Predictions