FIRST Minister John Swinney has said he intends to lead the SNP into the 2031 Holyrood elections.
The comments, made on Wednesday evening, go one step further than the SNP leader went in January when he said he would remain as First Minister until 2031 if his party wins the 2026 elections.
They have been read as paving the way for Swinney, 60, to potentially remain at the head of the Scottish Government until 2036.
Polling early last year had put Scottish Labour on track to take power back at Holyrood after 19 years in the cold. However, a collapse in support since Keir Starmer took power at Westminster has opened the door to a fifth consecutive SNP victory.
The Times reported that, speaking at the Association for Scottish Public Affairs conference in Edinburgh, Swinney responded with an unequivocal “yes” when asked if he planned to lead the SNP into the 2031 elections.
“I didn’t expect to be First Minister of Scotland. So it’s an extraordinary privilege. I’m giving it absolutely everything. I hope to win the 2026 election and have committed myself to the next parliamentary term,” Swinney went on.
Asked if he would consider his work done if Scotland achieves independence, Swinney said: “That’s exactly when my work will be done.”
Now the First Minister, Swinney had stepped back from frontline politics after Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation. He was widely expected to leave Holyrood in 2026.
However, he was put at the top of his party after Humza Yousaf was forced out following his decision to end the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens.
Polling expert professor John Curtice, also speaking in Edinburgh on Wednesday, said that Swinney was likely to remain first minister after the 2026 elections.
