The new Scottish Parliament met on 19th May 2026 to select a candidate for First Minister. After three rounds of voting (all of the party leaders stood for selection as candidate for First Minister) John Swinney MSP secured 56 votes, and with it the Parliament’s nomination for First Minister. This is the fifth consecutive term in office for the Scottish National Party.
John Swinney MSP was sworn in as First Minister at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Wednesday 20th May 2026.
On the afternoon of 20th May 2026, details of the new Scottish Cabinet began to emerge as SNP MSPs appeared at the First Minister’s residence, Bute House. The appointment of new Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers must be agreed by the Parliament and approved by His Majesty King Charles III. As such, any new Cabinet Secretaries and Ministers are ‘designate’ until their appointment is formally agreed to and approved. The Parliament is due to meet on Thursday 21 May 2026 to consider motions to appoint Cabinet Secretaries and junior Ministers.
This blog outlines the new Scottish Government and also provides information on junior Ministers. A previous SPICe blog explains how a Scottish Government is formed following an election.
What is the Scottish Government?
Section 44 of the Scotland Act 1998 (“the Scotland Act”) provides that the Scottish Government is made up of:
- the First Minister
- Ministers appointed under section 47 of the Scotland Act (this is those generally referred to as Cabinet Secretaries, and does not include junior Ministers)
- the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General for Scotland (collectively known as the Law Officers).
What is the Scottish Cabinet?
The Scottish Cabinet is made up of the First Minister and Cabinet Secretaries. It is the main decision making body of the Scottish Government and meets weekly. Junior Ministers are not members of the Cabinet and do not attend Cabinet meetings. The exception to this is the Minister for Parliamentary Business who does attend Cabinet meetings to discuss Parliamentary Business. Similarly, the Lord Advocate is not a member of the Cabinet but does attend when the Cabinet requires legal advice.
The Scottish Ministerial Code is a Code of Conduct and Guidance on Procedures for Members of the Scottish Government and junior Ministers. For the Cabinet, it sets out the principle of collective responsibility and explains Cabinet Business as well as how the Cabinet works with junior Ministers.
The previous Scottish Government
Prior to the election on 7 May 2026, John Swinney led a Scottish Government of 11 Cabinet Secretaries as well as the two law officers (the Lord Advocate and the Solicitor General). There were also 11 Ministers supporting Cabinet Secretaries. As explained in a previous SPICe blog, the Scottish Government remains in office until a new Government is appointed.
The Cabinet Secretaries and portfolios held by members of the previous Scottish Cabinet were:
- Kate Forbes, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Gaelic
- Angela Constance, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Home Affairs
- Jenny Gilruth, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills
- Mairi Gougeon, Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands
- Neil Gray, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care
- Fiona Hyslop, Cabinet Secretary for Transport
- Gillian Martin, Cabinet Secretary for Climate Action and Energy
- Màiri McAllan, Cabinet Secretary for Housing
- Angus Robertson, Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture
- Shona Robison, Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government
- Shirley-Anne Somerville, Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice
Kate Forbes, Shona Robison, Fiona Hyslop and Mairi Gougeon did not seek re-election and Angus Robertson was not returned at the election on 7 May 2026.
The Ministers and portfolios were:
- Tom Arthur, Minister for Social Care and Mental Wellbeing
- Siobhian Brown, Minister for Victims and Community Safety
- Graeme Dey, Minister for Parliamentary Business and Veterans
- Natalie Don-Innes, Minister for Children, Young People and The Promise
- Jim Fairlie, Minister for Agriculture and Connectivity
- Richard Lochhead, Minister for Business and Employment
- Ben Macpherson, Minister for Higher and Further Education
- Ivan McKee, Minister for Public Finance
- Jenni Minto, Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health
- Maree Todd, Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy and Sport
- Kaukab Stewart, Minister for Equalities
Graeme Dey, Richard Lochhead and Natalie Don-McInnes did not seek re-election and Kaukab Stewart was not returned at the election.
The law officers were Rt Hon Dorothy Bain KC Lord Advocate and Ruth Charteris KC, Solicitor General. The Scottish Law Officers’ appointment is not tied to membership of the Parliament. As such, they remain in office after an election, unless they tender their resignation (or the Parliament resolves that a law officer no longer has its confidence). It was announced on 15 May 2026 that Dorothy Bain KC was to step down as Lord Advocate.
What is the shape of the new Scottish Government led by First Minister John Swinney?
The First Minister has made it clear that his government will rule as a minority government, seeking support from other parties on a case-by-case basis in order to get the votes needed to pass legislation, including Budget Bills, in the Parliament.
It was also reported that the First Minister would oversee a smaller government. This time, in addition to the First Minister, there are 8 Cabinet Secretaries and 11 junior Ministers.
The infographic below sets out the Cabinet Secretaries which will serve in John Swinney’s Cabinet. New appointments are subject to the agreement of the Parliament and approval by His Majesty The King.
Which Ministers will support the Scottish Cabinet?
Junior Ministers (often just referred to as Ministers) do not form part of the Scottish Government and are not members of the Cabinet. They do, however, support the work of Cabinet Secretaries. The First Minister has appointed 11 Ministers (new Ministers are subject to the agreement of the Parliament and approval by His Majesty The King). The table below sets out the Scottish Government Ministers and their portfolios.
MSP | Ministerial portfolio |
Stephen Gethins | Europe, External Affairs and Energy |
Jamie Hepburn | Parliamentary Business and Veterans |
Hannah Mary Goodlad | Public Finance |
Kirsten Oswald | Victims and Community Safety |
Alison Thewliss | Community Care |
Maree Todd | Public Health, Sport, Alcohol and Drugs |
Jim Fairlie | Agriculture, Marine and the Islands |
Siobhan Brown | Children, Young People and The Promise |
Ben Macpherson | Innovation, Technology and Tertiary Education |
Simita Kumar | Equalities and International Development |
Tom Arthur | Business and Fair Work |
Sarah McKay, SPICe research