John Swinney, Scotland’s new first minister, has appointed his inaugural cabinet – and it’s almost unaltered from the team headed by Humza Yousaf. The only real change is the appointment of former leadership hopeful Kate Forbes as deputy first minister. She was promised a ‘significant’ role and in addition to the office of DFM she will hold the economy portfolio.
Forbes’s return will be welcome news to those keen on healing internal rifts but will displease SNP progressives, who revile Forbes for her orthodox Christian views on same-sex marriage and gender identity ideology. She has called her new appointment ‘a moment of extraordinary privilege’ while Swinney has described her as ‘an immensely talented politician’. It doesn’t make up for how shabbily she was treated, which would have been roundly condemned if she belonged to any other faith, but the new post is an acknowledgement of her abilities and contribution to the SNP.
Beyond the addition of Swinney in the top job and Forbes as his number two, nothing else changes.
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