John Swinney sets out aspiration to be ‘long-term political leader’ for Scotland

John Swinney has set out his intention to be a “long-term political leader”, with the First Minister making clear he would serve a full term if re-elected next May and that he expected to stand again in 2031.

Mr Swinney said “obviously I’d go through the whole term” if re-elected as first minister in May 2026.

That election comes some two years after he became SNP leader for a second time, and if still in post at the May 2031 elections, would have held the position for seven years.

In an interview published in the Herald On Sunday, he stressed his intention to serve a full term as first minister if the SNP won the 2026 Holyrood election, saying: “My aspiration is to be a long-term political leader, so I would expect to be standing in 2031 as well.”

The First Minister went on to explain how he was “anxious” about whether a deal could be done between the UK and the US that would cut import tariffs on Scotch whisky.

The SNP leader raised the issue when he held talks in the Oval Office of the White House with US president Donald Trump in September.

At the time, he had said there was a “real chance of a better deal” on tariffs for Scotch whisky – but added that the UK Government, which is responsible for trade talks in the UK, needed to get an agreement “over the line”.

With no deal announced as yet, Mr Swinney said he was “anxious about it”, but insisted that the US president, whose mother was born on the Isle of Lewis, had had a “genuine interest in Scotland”.

But Mr Swinney said: “Whether that turns into a commitment to a deal remains to be seen, but I think there was enough potential to be optimistic.”

The First Minister added that being at Hampden to watch the Scotland men’s football team qualify for their first World Cup since 1998 after a dramatic win over Denmark was a highlight of his year – although he said he could “quite easily” have opted not to attend the crucial game.

Mr Swinney was due to travel to London early in the morning after the match, and said he “quite easily could have said, ‘oh, I need to get my sleep’,” but added: “Thank goodness I never erred on the side of caution that night.”

He described the game as being “just an extraordinary moment to witness” but added that his teenage son Matthew was “livid” at not being allowed to come with him, as he had school the next day.

While he said the birth of his first grandchild, a baby boy called Rua, had been his personal highlight of 2025, he said that the low point had been losing the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse seat at Holyrood to Labour.

A by-election was held there in June following the death of Scottish Government minister Christina McKelvie, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

Mr Swinney said defeat there had been “sore”, adding that he had “wanted to retain the seat” for his late colleague.