John Swinney to resign as Scotland’s Deputy First Minister at the same time as Nicola Sturgeon

© Provided by The i John Swinney has been a close ally of Nicola Sturgeon during her years as First Minister (Photo: Getty)

Scotland’s Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, has announced that he will resign from his post at the same time as Nicola Sturgeon, bringing to an end almost 16 years in the Scottish Government.

He announced on Thursday afternoon that he will stand down once a new First Minister is appointed later this month and return to the backbenches, where he will continue to represent his contituents in Perthshire North.

Mr Swinney is the longest serving Deputy First Minister on record, having held the post for almost nine years. He also served as Education Secretary and Finance Secretary twice.

In a letter to Ms Sturgeon, Mr Swinney said it has been an “honour to serve Scotland” and that he had always sought “to transform the life chances of everyone”.

In her reply, Ms Sturgeon paid tribute to his “deep care and attention to the wellbeing of our nation” and said she could not have wished for a better “partner in government”.

A close ally of Ms Sturgeon during her years as First Minister, Mr Swinney has generally been regarded as a safe pair of hands in his ministerial roles and is respected by officials.

He has yet to say which of the three SNP leadership contenders he will be backing to succeed Ms Sturgeon, but at a hustings event on Wednesday evening Humza Yousaf said he was one of his closest confidantes in government.

In his resignation letter to Ms Sturgeon, Mr Swinney recalled how he joined the SNP at the age of 15 in 1979, at which point he “could scarcely have imagined” that it would eventually go on to huge electoral success.

He added: “In all that I have undertaken in government, I have tried to listen carefully to different views and be open to the ideas and thoughts of people in Scotland.

“I have sought always to transform the life chances of everyone who lives here. I have acted to make Scotland a fairer, more prosperous and more confident country that I believe would be assured with independence.

“I have been touched constantly by the kindness of people in Scotland and their understanding of the many challenges with which we have to wrestle in government.

“I am grateful to my ministerial and parliamentary colleagues for their collaboration and support. And I am indebted to you for your leadership, constancy, friendship and loyalty.

“I will continue to faithfully represent my constituents in Perthshire North and look forward to sitting with you on the back benches of the Scottish Parliament to continue our contribution to Scotland’s cause.”