Who is John Swinney, the new leader of the SNP?

Holyrood’s longest-serving deputy first minister is now set to become first minister after being announced as the SNP’s second new leader in the space of 13 months.

Several high-profile figures in the party backed John Swinney as the best candidate for the post in the wake of Humza Yousaf’s abrupt resignation as First Minister.

The parliamentarian thought to be his main challenger, Kate Forbes, announced she would not stand and backed his bid, as he said he hoped she would play a significant part in his team.

Mr Swinney, one of the original intake of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, is seen by many as being able to provide calm leadership at what is a time of political turmoil for Scotland’s governing party.

In September 2000, he took over as leader following the first departure of Alex Salmond, having served as his deputy for two years previously.

His tenure was not a happy one.

Under his leadership, the SNP’s fortunes slid, returning just five MPs at the 2001 Westminster election and 22 MSPs in the 2003 Holyrood vote.

But that was not the end of his political story as he was brought back by Mr Salmond to serve as finance secretary when the SNP took power in 2007.

He served in the role for the entirety of Mr Salmond’s tenure, before being appointed deputy first minister by Nicola Sturgeon when she took over.

During his time as Ms Sturgeon’s deputy, he cemented his reputation as a dogged defender of his boss, as well as an SNP stalwart.

But it was not without its challenges, as he faced two close no confidence votes in Holyrood, first over the handling of school exams during the pandemic, and his initial refusal to publish legal advice during the inquiry into the botched handling of harassment complaints against Mr Salmond.

The election of Mr Yousaf as first minister saw Mr Swinney call time on his career in the Scottish Cabinet, but he is now gearing up to take the helm.