MINISTERS have been arriving at Bute House in Edinburgh this morning to hear what job they will have in Nicola Sturgeon's new Cabinet.
Humza Yousaf, who is currently Justice Secretary, was the first to arrive, followed by Kate Forbes, who currently holds the finance brief.
Shirley-Anne Sommerville, who is currently Social Security Secretary, had her meeting with the First Minister via Zoom this morning as she is self-isolating.
The Dunfermline MSP wrote on Twitter: "So no visit to Bute House this am as someone in the household got a text last night as a close contact. Good chat with FM though. Details to follow."
READ MORE: Scottish Cabinet reshuffe: Fiona Hyslop and Fergus Ewing leave government
Kate Forbes, who is currently Finance Secretary, arrived at Bute House this morning.
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!"
Later several more ministers arrived and also the SNP's deputy leader Keith Brown, raising speculation he may return to the Cabinet.
STV's political editor Colin Mackay counting the figures arriving and wrote on Twitter.
"So that’s 10. FM NicolaSturgeon, DFM JohnSwinney, HumzaYousaf, Shirley-Anne Somerville, Matheson Michael, Shona Robison, Mairi Gougeon, Angus Robertson, Keith Brown. We’re just waiting to see what jobs they’ve got."
The reshuffle is taking place after the SNP won a record fourth term in government at Holyrood, although the SNP just fell short of winning an overall majority at Holyrood winning 64 seats.
The election in May also saw a number of senior politicians leave the Scottish Parliament, with Constitution Secretary Mike Russell, Health Secretary Jeane Freeman, Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham and Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell all choosing to step away from politics, while energy minister Paul Wheelhouse failed to be re-elected.
Earlier it was announced that two of Scotland's longest-serving cabinet secretaries are to leave the Scottish Government.
Humza Yousaf, who is currently Justice Secretary, was the first minister to arrive at Bute House today. Photo Colin Mearns
Both Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop and Rural Economy and Tourism Secretary Fergus Ewing have been part of the Scottish cabinet since 2007 - the year the SNP came to power.
But with the First Minister conducting a major reshuffle of her ministerial team, she confirmed both Hyslop and Ewing would no longer be part of it.
The First Minister has already announced that John Swinney is being moved from the education brief within the Scottish Government, and will now be Scotland's Coronavirus Recovery Secretary, at the same time as remaining in post as the Deputy First Minister.
Speaking as she began her cabinet reshuffle, Sturgeon 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.
"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."
Speaking about Ewing, the First Minister said: "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."
Sturgeon said: "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."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel