John Swinney’s unfussy election as leader reflects his esteem within SNP

His unfussy election as leader says much about the esteem in which he is held by colleagues across factions and ages – while at 60 Swinney is a generation older than his predecessor, Humza Yousaf, his confirmation was instantly welcomed by Amy Callaghan, one of the party’s youngest MPs, as well as by established Holyrood cabinet secretaries.

After studying politics at the University of Edinburgh, he pursued a career in finance before entering first the Westminster parliament and then Holyrood, as one of the first intake of MSPs in 1999.

Last year, after Sturgeon’s home was searched and she and her husband, Peter Murrell, were arrested as part of the police investigation into SNP finances, Swinney chaperoned her around the Holyrood parliament, standing by her side as she spoke to reporters.

The SNP’s return to minority government will demand the negotiating skills he is renowned for – he garnered plaudits for his protracted discussions with Westminster after the Smith commission, which gave further powers to Holyrood after the 2014 independence referendum.

In his leadership acceptance speech on Monday, Swinney admitted he had been “physically and mentally exhausted” at that point but said that 12 months later he was “rested and ready”.

Although viewed as the ultimate safe pair of hands, last week Swinney nevertheless dismissed the notion that he would merely be a “caretaker”, saying he intended to lead the party into the 2026 Holyrood elections and beyond.