# John Swinney

# John Swinney

**Party:** SNP
**Constituency/Region:** Perthshire North
**First elected:** 7 May 2026
**Previous roles:** First Minister. Re-elected.

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## Bio

| Detail | Info |
|--------|------|
| **Full name** | John Ramsay Swinney |
| **Born** | 13 April 1964 (age 62), Edinburgh |
| **Party** | Scottish National Party |
| **Current office** | First Minister of Scotland, Leader of the SNP |
| **Previous roles** | Deputy First Minister (2014–2023), Cabinet roles (2007–2023), SNP Leader (2000–2004), MP for North Tayside (1997–2001), MSP since 1999 |
| **Education** | University of Edinburgh (MA) |
| **Pre-politics profession** | Career politician |

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## Twitter/X Discussion

> *Source: Nitter (via Docker on Windows PC), 27 May 2026*

Accounts: @staylorish, @John_Howieson, @olivercycles, @SteveTa65152757, @msm_monitor, @EOSK25, @brawday, @JamesOh56689027

- Swinney criticised over Murrell scandal — accused of knowing money had gone missing from SNP accounts as early as 2021
- Swinney denied rumours he sent Nicola Sturgeon to buy matches — sarcastic post-election joke
- John Swinney appointed Peter Murrell as CEO — question over what qualities he saw in him
- Defended by some supporters who argue he is a victim of Murrell's actions too

## Reddit Discussion

> *Source: Eddrit (via Docker on Windows PC), 27 May 2026*

Key threads found:
- **r/Scotland** — [Supermarkets criticise John Swinney's plan to cap food prices](https://reddit.com/r/Scotland/comments/1sn3nqa/)
- **r/Scotland** — [John Swinney: I'll stand as the first Prime Minister of an independent Scotland](https://reddit.com/r/Scotland/comments/1sqlqoh/)
- **r/Scotland** — [SNP leader John Swinney re-elected as Scotland's First Minister](https://reddit.com/r/Scotland/comments/1thok5j/)
- **r/Scotland** — [Peter Murrell pleads guilty to embezzling SNP funds](https://reddit.com/r/Scotland/comments/1tn49oj/)

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## Sources

- Scottish Parliament website
- Wikipedia — 2026 Scottish Parliament election