John Swinney said being Scotland’s First Minister was the “greatest privilege” of his life as he was voted back into the job at Holyrood.
The SNP leader – as expected – was formally elected to the role by MSPs at the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday.
With the SNP by far the largest party at Holyrood, the results of Tuesday’s election for first minister had been all but guaranteed.
At the end of the vote the First Minister shook hands with the leaders of the other parties at Holyrood – including Reform UK’s Lord Malcolm Offord, who he had refused to invite in for talks after the election.
But with his party lacking a majority at the Scottish Parliament, Mr Swinney made clear his willingness to work with his rivals, speaking about “working collaboratively to advance the interests of the people of Scotland”.
And despite the lack of a majority he made clear he will continue to push for a second vote on Scotland’s future – stressing Holyrood now has “the largest pro-independence majority in the history of devolution”.
Mr Swinney’s party won 58 seats in the Scottish Parliament – six fewer than in the previous election and seven short of the overall majority he had wanted to try to force Westminster to permit a fresh ballot to be held on the future of the UK.
I love this country and it is the privilege of my life to be elected as your First Minister at @ScotParl today.
— John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) May 19, 2026
I will give everything I have to deliver on your priorities, and to fulfil Scotland’s enormous potential. 🏴 pic.twitter.com/otEUeAojJq
Speaking about his “ambitious” plans for the next five years, Mr Swinney warned against blocking “bold proposals” for “political expediency”.
The First Minister said: “By electing a parliament of minorities, the people have given us a specific instruction to work together.
“Voters value cooperation amongst their politicians, they want to see more of it. And in this Parliament I will work to see more of it, too.”
He pledged to be a “First Minister for all of Scotland”, with Mr Swinney – who has been in Holyrood since 1999 and been part of the Scottish Government almost continuously since 2007 – saying the country had backed his “reliable, trusted and experienced leadership”.
Stressing his “resounding personal mandate” the SNP leader said he has “ambitious goals for this parliamentary session”.
Crucially he added: “I believe I can achieve a majority for every ambition I have for this Parliament.”
And while he accepted there are “profound differences” between parties at Holyrood on the issue of independence, he stressed: “The people have now elected the largest pro-independence majority in the history of devolution.
“The Scottish people have yet again made their wishes known, loud and clear.
“They want a more secure and a more prosperous independent nation, one where decisions are made not in Westminster but here in Scotland.”
His call for a second independence vote was backed by Scottish Green co-leader Gillian Mackay, who said while voters had been “promised big things” in the aftermath of the 2014 referendum, what they got “was Brexit, a decade of Westminster failure, a merry-go-round of prime ministers and ongoing climate breakdown”.
The Green declared: “People’s lives have gotten materially worse and Scotland must have our chance to choose differently.”
For Scottish Labour, Anas Sarwar called for co-operation across the political spectrum.
“People are frustrated, angry and tired, and they are tired of political arguments that seem disconnected from their lives – and that should concern every one of us,” he said.
“If people lose faith not only in one party or in one government, but in the ability of politics itself to improve their lives, then that not only undermines our democracy, but opens up opportunities for those that seek to divide us.”
Malcolm Offord, Reform UK’s Scottish leader, said Scots should have a “first minister who wishes to build opportunity and prosperity for every Scot”, as he insisted Reform is the only party that can achieve this.
“All we have seen from the SNP is record highs in tax and spend and grievance stoked against the United Kingdom for cynical political gain,” Lord Offord added.
“Now, in partnership with the Greens, we have seen the politics of envy take root.”
Mr Findlay meanwhile said the results of the ballot for First Minister had been a “foregone conclusion”.
But he said he put his name forward for the post “because it gives me the opportunity to put forward my vision for a better Scotland”.
Mr Cole-Hamilton likewise admitted he knew he would not win the vote, but highlighted that his party returning 10 MSPs at the election was a “massive leap forward”.
