Jenny Gilruth covers Swinney as 58 SNP seats force vote
jenny gilruth is following the vote at Holyrood on Tuesday as MSPs choose Scotland’s newest First Minister after the Scottish Parliament election left John Swinney short of a majority. The SNP won 58 seats, below the 65 needed to govern alone, so Swinney will need help from at least one other party.
Swinney said he is confident he will win the vote. All five other parties at Holyrood have also said they will put their leaders forward for the top job, turning the ballot into a test of whether the SNP can secure backing beyond its own ranks.
Holyrood vote on Tuesday
The result matters because the next First Minister must be chosen by MSPs, not simply by the party that came first. Swinney’s path is narrower than it would be with a majority, and the arithmetic means he cannot rely on the SNP’s 58 seats alone.
During the campaign, Swinney promised that a new SNP administration would bring forward a vote to approve the development of a Section 30 order. A Section 30 order would be needed to transfer powers to hold a referendum from Westminster to Holyrood.
Greens press Swinney
The Scottish Greens have previously supported the SNP in similar circumstances, and ahead of Tuesday’s vote they called on Swinney to honour his promise to introduce a vote on a second referendum on the first sitting of his new government. Gillian Mackay said Scotland had voted for a pro-independence majority Parliament and that must be respected.
She also said: “If John Swinney is elected first minister on Tuesday, then his new government must bring forward the promised parliamentary debate and vote on Scotland’s right to choose at the first available opportunity.” Mackay added: “It is welcome that, now the election is over, the SNP appears to recognise that Green votes are also independence votes. But recognition is not enough.”
Findlay’s warning
Russell Findlay urged Swinney to show “common sense” and rule out another deal with the Greens. The Scottish Conservative leader said there are significant concerns that the SNP’s anti-oil-and-gas agenda will harden if Swinney ends up at the mercy of the Greens, who he said would turn off the taps overnight.
Findlay also said the SNP maintains a presumption against new drilling in the North Sea. That leaves Swinney balancing the need for support in Holyrood with pressure from the Conservatives over any renewed arrangement with the Greens.
Tuesday’s ballot will show whether Swinney can reach beyond the SNP’s 58 seats or whether the next government starts with negotiations tied to a second referendum and the Green vote.
