Scottish Cabinet reshuffe: Fiona Hyslop and Fergus Ewing leave government

Nicola Sturgeon paid tribute to both long serving senior ministers – who served respectively as Rural Economy Secretary and Economy Secretary.

The First Minister said: “I want to pay tribute to the work of both Fiona Hyslop and Fergus Ewing and to thank them for their unstinting public service over many years.

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“Fiona has served in Cabinet since 2007, firstly as Education Secretary, then as Culture and External Affairs Secretary before taking on the Economy and Fair Work portfolio.

“Her tenure in the External Affairs brief saw Fiona oversee the expansion of the Scottish Government’s international footprint, giving our country a higher profile than it has ever had before on the global stage, and that is a legacy which she can and should be justly proud of.

Fergus Ewing had served in the SNP ministerial team since 2007

“Fergus has also been part of the ministerial team since 2007, and has brought diligence and endeavour to all of the jobs he has held. In particular, he has worked tirelessly with and on behalf of Scotland’s rural sector over the past five years since the Brexit vote, fighting their corner at every turn.

“Fergus has been a champion for Scotland’s farmers and crofters during one of the most difficult, challenging and uncertain periods our agricultural sector has ever faced, and he has the gratitude of many in the industry for his efforts to protect their interests.

“I want to offer my sincere thanks to Fiona and Fergus for their service, and wish them well as they continue to serve their constituents in the new Parliament.” 

The First Minister is expected to announce her new Cabinet and junior ministerial team later this morning.

The reshuffle is taking place after the SNP won a record fourth term in government at Holyrood, although it just fell short of winning an overall majority at Holyrood.

Humza Yousaf, who is currently Justice Secretary, was the first to arrive at Bute House, followed by Kate Forbes, who currently holds the finance brief.

Meanwhile, the First Minister revealed on Twitter that coronavirus measures meant she had to speak to Shirley-Anne Sommerville, who is currently Social Security Secretary, via Zoom.

The First Minister tweeted: "Covid resulting in a somewhat unorthodox Cabinet Secretary appointment today (tho watch this space for portfolio!!) - for @S_A_Somerville the Bute House walk has been replaced with a zoom call due to her having a family member in isolation!"

Deputy First Minister John Swinney – who has been moved from education to a new Cabinet role for Covid recovery – passed on warm wishes to Hyslop and Ewing this morning.

He wrote on Twitter: "Warmest appreciation to my dear friends and colleagues Fiona Hyslop and Fergus Ewing  as they leave Government.

"They have both made formidable contributions to making Scotland a more successful country."

Warmest appreciation to my dear friends and colleagues @FionaHyslop and @FergusEwingSNP as they leave Government. They have both made formidable contributions to making Scotland a more successful country.

— John Swinney (@JohnSwinney) May 19, 2021

Last night, Swinney said he is "honoured" to have been made Scotland's Covid Recovery Secretary as Sturgeon announced the first move in her post-election cabinet reshuffle.

The First Minister, who confirmed Swinney would remain as her Deputy First Minister, said making him Covid Recovery Secretary would be a "key step in getting Scotland's recovery off to the right start".

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Deputy First Minister John Swinney pictured on the steps of Bute House, Edinburgh, on Tuesday evening.  Photo Jane Barlow/PA

Swinney said on Twitter serving as Education Secretary for the past five years had been a "privilege", as he wished his successor well.

But it came after Labour had called for him to be sacked from his education brief for a "litany of failures".

Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said: "It is right that John Swinney has been moved on from his previous role. He has left a wake of damaging failures behind him that require urgent action to fix. "

But she added: "Putting him in charge of our recovery is potentially gambling with the health and well-being of the nation.

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"While we wish him well, he must demonstrate quickly that he is up to the job."

Swinney's new role will see him take responsibility across the Scottish Government for action to deliver the coronavirus recovery, as well as working with the public, private and voluntary sector.

In addition he will chair a cross party steering group on Covid recovery, which is expected to meet for the first time this week.

Announcing the appointment Sturgeon said: "Appointing John Swinney to drive cross government work on Covid Recovery is a key step in getting Scotland's recovery off to the right start.

"How we begin our recovery is crucial to the kind of country we can become, and that means ensuring everyone, whether in government, the public sector, the business community or wider society is pulling in the same direction."

In addition to this work on Covid recovery, the Deputy First Minister will take the lead on intergovernmental relations, and for delivering what the Scottish Government ailed as "transformational projects" to incorporate UN Human Rights Treaties into Scots law and the deliver improvements for young people who have been in care.

Swinney said: "Recovery in our schools, our health service, our economy and across our wider society is this government's immediate priority and I am honoured to have been asked to lead that mission.

"I am determined that government will bring the same urgency that we applied to the actions we took to protect public health, to the actions we need to take to secure a fair and just recovery.

"I will be bringing opposition parties together next week to hear their contributions and to set out how I believe we can all work together to secure a strong recovery.

"As we recover we must also remember our commitments to improve the lives of people across our society and it is a privilege to continue to lead the work across government to deliver on the incorporation of UN charters and to deliver The Promise for our care experienced young people."

This latest cabinet reshuffle comes after a number of ministers left the Scottish Government at May's Holyrood election, with Constitution Secretary Mike Russell, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman and Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell all stepping down from the Scottish Parliament, while energy minister Paul Wheelhouse failed to be re-elected.

The new Cabinet is expected to be smaller than the previous 12 strong team and continue to be gender balanced.

Key roles to be announced later will be those of health secretary and education secretary.