John Swinney

Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution and Economy,

Born in 1964, John Swinney joined the Scottish National Party (SNP) in 1979 and went on to graduate from Edinburgh University with an MA (Hons) in Politics. He has worked for the Scottish Coal Project, Development Options and Scottish Amicable.

Prior to his election as Westminster MP for North Tayside in 1997, Swinney held a number of posts in the SNP at both local and national level. In 1999, he became the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Tayside North, remaining as the constituency’s MP until standing down from Westminster at the 2001 General Election.

From 1998 to 2000 he served as deputy leader of the SNP, and then as party leader between 2000 and 2004.  He was re-elected as an MSP at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election and appointed Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Sustainable Growth. He was appointed as Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Constitution & Economy in November 2014.

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