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Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)
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John Swinney

Scottish National Party

MSP for Perthshire North (Constituency)


John Swinney is the First Minister and is the leader of the Scottish National Party

About John Swinney

Contact details

Contact online

Website: johnswinney.scot

X (previously known as Twitter): @johnswinney

Contact at the Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP

Phone: 0131 348 5717
Text relay calls welcome.

Contact at local office

17-19 Leslie Street
Blairgowrie
PH10 6AH

Phone: 01250 876576
Text relay calls welcome.

Find out when the MSP's surgery times are on their website.

Career as MSP

Career as MSP

Scottish National Party
MSP for Perthshire North (Constituency)
05 May 2011 to present

Scottish National Party
Former MSP for North Tayside (Constituency)
06 May 1999 to 22 Mar 2011

Committees

John Swinney is not a member of any committees

Cross-party groups

John Swinney is not a member of any cross-party groups

Parliamentary and Government Roles

John Swinney has 1 parliamentary and government role

First Minister

Scottish Government

Party Roles

John Swinney has 1 party role

Party Leader

Scottish National Party

Previous roles

John Swinney has had the following roles in Parliament

Previous roles in cross-party groups are not included in this list.

07 May 2024 to 19 May 2026

First Minister

Scottish Government

06 May 2024 to 08 April 2026

Party Leader

Scottish National Party

29 June 2023 to 07 May 2024

Criminal Justice Committee

Member

19 May 2021 to 28 March 2023

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery

Scottish Government

18 May 2016 to 18 May 2021

Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills

Scottish Government

21 November 2014 to 18 May 2016

Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy

Scottish Government

21 November 2014 to 18 May 2016

Deputy First Minister

Scottish Government

25 May 2011 to 21 November 2014

Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Employment and Sustainable Growth

Scottish Government

17 May 2007 to 25 May 2011

Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth

Scottish Government

05 September 2005 to 02 April 2007

Party Spokesperson on Finance

Scottish National Party

05 September 2005 to 02 April 2007

Party Spokesperson on Public Services

Scottish National Party

30 October 2004 to 02 April 2007

Audit Committee

Substitute Member

20 September 2005 to 02 April 2007

Finance Committee

Deputy Convener

15 September 2005 to 20 September 2005

Finance Committee

Member

28 September 2004 to 14 September 2005

European and External Relations Committee

Convener

28 September 2004 to 14 September 2005

conveners group

Member

15 September 2004 to 28 September 2004

European and External Relations Committee

Member

01 May 2003 to 03 September 2004

Party Leader

Scottish National Party

26 September 2000 to 31 March 2003

Party Leader

Scottish National Party

17 June 1999 to 01 November 2000

Finance Committee

Member

06 May 1999 to 26 September 2000

Deputy Party Leader

Scottish National Party

25 May 1999 to 26 September 2000

Party Spokesperson on Enterprise

Scottish National Party

25 May 1999 to 26 September 2000

Party Spokesperson on Lifelong Learning

Scottish National Party

17 June 1999 to 26 September 2000

Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Committee

Convener

24 August 1999 to 26 September 2000

conveners liaison group

Member

Register of interests

John Swinney's register of interests

MSPs must provide details of their financial interests in the Register of Interests. They make an initial statement on becoming or being returned as an MSP. This is then updated with any changes they provide.

Recent Activity

Official Report

What John Swinney has said in Parliament

These are the official transcripts of what was said by this MSP in the chamber and at committee meetings. You'll find the topic discussed and how many times this MSP has contributed to the discussion.

Immigration

Chamber meeting date: 11 June 2026

The First Minister (John Swinney): "I think that Mr Offord is under a misconception about the local connection rules. The change to the local connection rules by this Government in 2022 did not change the local connection rules for refugee households…

Racist Demonstrations

Chamber meeting date: 11 June 2026

The First Minister (John Swinney): "One of the fundamental duties—if not the fundamental duty—of ministers is to ensure that people are safe in their own country.The Government takes that approach in all its communications…

Teacher Shortages

Chamber meeting date: 11 June 2026

The First Minister (John Swinney): "I welcome Mr Cole-Hamilton’s comments on division and disorder and I am not surprised by them…

Scottish National Party Finances (Peter Murrell)

Chamber meeting date: 11 June 2026

The First Minister (John Swinney): "First, I welcome the comments that Russell Finlay made about the disorder in Glasgow…

Trust in Politics

Chamber meeting date: 11 June 2026

The First Minister (John Swinney): "I will begin on the question of the world cup—I associate myself directly with Mr Sarwar’s comments. I look forward enormously to travelling to Boston, which I will do later on, after question time, to support Scotland on Saturday evening…

Votes

How John Swinney has voted in Parliament

Find out how John Swinney has voted recently.

Inquiry to Restore Public Trust in Scottish Politics

Motion ref. S7M-00294

Submitted by: Anas Sarwar, Glasgow, Scottish Labour. Date lodged: Monday, June 8, 2026

Supported by: Jackie Baillie
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Result 71 for, 50 against, 0 abstained, 8 did not vote

MSP voted for

Agreed

Inquiry to Restore Public Trust in Scottish Politics

Motion ref. S7M-00294.3

Submitted by: Russell Findlay, West Scotland, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Result 53 for, 70 against, 0 abstained, 6 did not vote

MSP voted against

Disagreed

Inquiry to Restore Public Trust in Scottish Politics

Motion ref. S7M-00294.2

Submitted by: Ross Greer, West Scotland, Scottish Green Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Supported by: Patrick Harvie
Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Result 70 for, 53 against, 0 abstained, 6 did not vote

MSP voted for

Agreed

Inquiry to Restore Public Trust in Scottish Politics

Motion ref. S7M-00294.1

Submitted by: Jamie Hepburn, Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, Scottish National Party. Date lodged: Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Result 55 for, 68 against, 0 abstained, 6 did not vote

MSP voted for

Disagreed

Growing Scotland’s Economy

Motion ref. S7M-00290.1

Submitted by: Liam McArthur, Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats. Date lodged: Monday, June 8, 2026

Current status: Taken in the Chamber on Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Result 78 for, 28 against, 16 abstained, 7 did not vote

MSP voted for

Agreed

Motions

Motions made by John Swinney in Parliament

Find out what motions John Swinney has submitted recently.

Questions

Questions John Swinney has asked

These are the questions that this MSP has asked in Parliament. It also includes any answer to those questions.

Question reference: S6W-26902

Asked by: John Swinney, Perthshire North, Scottish National Party

Date lodged: 18 April 2024

Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 April 2024

"To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of staff currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner were previously employed by (a) Police Scotland, (b) any other police service and (c) the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service."

Question reference: S6W-26901

Asked by: John Swinney, Perthshire North, Scottish National Party

Date lodged: 18 April 2024

Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 April 2024

"To ask the Scottish Government how many staff are currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner, and in what roles."

Question reference: S6W-26900

Asked by: John Swinney, Perthshire North, Scottish National Party

Date lodged: 18 April 2024

Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 29 April 2024

"To ask the Scottish Government what proportion of staff currently employed by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner were previously serving police officers."

Question reference: S6W-26392

Asked by: John Swinney, Perthshire North, Scottish National Party

Date lodged: 21 March 2024

Current Status: Answered by Jenni Minto on 16 April 2024

"To ask the Scottish Government on how many occasions the treatment Olaparib has been prescribed in each NHS board area since it was approved for use by the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) in 2021."

Question reference: S6W-26307

Asked by: John Swinney, Perthshire North, Scottish National Party

Date lodged: 20 March 2024

Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 April 2024

"To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to any implications of recent flooding events for wild salmon populations."

Question reference: S6W-26306

Asked by: John Swinney, Perthshire North, Scottish National Party

Date lodged: 20 March 2024

Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 April 2024

"To ask the Scottish Government what consideration it has given to measures to increase the wild salmon population through stocking initiatives."

Question reference: S6W-26304

Asked by: John Swinney, Perthshire North, Scottish National Party

Date lodged: 20 March 2024

Current Status: Answered by Mairi Gougeon on 9 April 2024

"To ask the Scottish Government what progress has been made on the implementation of the Scottish Wild Salmon Strategy."

Question reference: S6W-26390

Asked by: John Swinney, Perthshire North, Scottish National Party

Date lodged: 21 March 2024

Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 April 2024

"To ask the Scottish Government when the review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer will be completed."

Question reference: S6W-26391

Asked by: John Swinney, Perthshire North, Scottish National Party

Date lodged: 21 March 2024

Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 5 April 2024

"To ask the Scottish Government whether consideration is being given, as part of the review of the Scottish Referral Guidelines for Suspected Cancer, to risk factors such as family history and ethnicity in improving the early detection of prostate cancer."

Question reference: S6W-26389

Asked by: John Swinney, Perthshire North, Scottish National Party

Date lodged: 21 March 2024

Current Status: Answered by Neil Gray on 2 April 2024

"To ask the Scottish Government whether the necessary genetic tests are available in all NHS board areas to enable the prescribing of Olaparib to treat prostate cancer."