The announcement came after Swinney was sworn in as Scotland's seventh first minister at the court of session yesterday morning, following his nomination by MSPs at Holyrood, where he pledged to be the "first minister for everyone in Scotland".
Swinney had promised a "significant" role to Forbes, who narrowly lost to Humza Yousaf in last year's leadership contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon. Following informal talks between the pair last week after Yousaf's dramatic resignation nine days ago, she said she had been persuaded by Swinney's pledge to "govern from the mainstream" to rule herself out of the contest and back his bid.
Forbes was the only appointment of significance in a reshuffle in which nine cabinet secretaries kept their existing portfolios, prompting derision from Scottish Labour, which dismissed Swinney's "continuity cabinet".
This story is from the May 09, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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This story is from the May 09, 2024 edition of The Guardian.
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