By Biodun Busari

A 60-year-old Scottish politician, John Swinney has been legally sworn in as Scotland’s seventh first minister on Wednesday.

His swearing in was followed by Humza Yousaf’s signing of a letter to the King tendering his resignation as Scotland’s first minister after.

Yousaf resigned after John Swinney was elected as the Scotland National Party, SNP’s new leader.

Last week, Yousaf, who was sworn in on March 29, 2023, said he “paid the price” for the way he ended the power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens.

In his letter to King Charles, the Glasgow Pollok MSP said his resignation would take effect from the start of parliamentary business on Tuesday.

“Throughout my time as first minister, I have been most grateful for your counsel and the kindness you have shown to both Nadia and I,” Yousaf wrote in his letter to the King.

Taking over from the 39-year-old, Swinney is now Keeper of the Scottish Seal, also known as the Great Seal, after taking the oath of office and pledging his allegiance to the King, British media reported.

The seal allows the monarch to authorise official documents without having to sign each one.

As Keeper of the Scottish Seal, Swinney has been given the authority to make decisions on behalf of the crown, which effectively means he can lead the country with the support of the Scottish parliament.

The ceremony took place at the Court of Session in Edinburgh in front of Scotland’s most senior judge, the Lord President Lord Carloway.

Swinney’s family, including his wife Elizabeth, brother David, and 13-year-old son Matthew, accompanied him to court.

Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, Swinney said taking the oaths had been an “overwhelming moment” as he spoke of his pride at being first minister and his family’s support.

“I look forward to dedicating my future to serving the people of Scotland. It’s an extraordinary opportunity to change lives for the better and I’ll continue to use every moment that’s available to me to do so,” he said.

“For my family this is a very abrupt change of our circumstances. We didn’t think this would happening about 10 days ago,” he added.

Swinney, who was deputy first minister under Nicola Sturgeon, previously said he is “no interim leader” and intends to lead the SNP beyond the next general and Scottish elections.

He has vowed to focus on the economy, jobs, the cost of living, the NHS, education, public services, and the climate crisis.

Addressing the opposition, he said, “If we want to fund our schools and hospitals, if we want to give our businesses a competitive edge, if we want to take climate action, if we want to eradicate child poverty, if we want to change people’s lives for the better, we have got to work together to do so.”

Meanwhile, Swinney has appointed the 34-year-old Kate Forbes as deputy first minister.

Kate Forbes, the former finance secretary, stepped aside last week allowing Swinney to stand unopposed for the SNP’s leadership.