Watch: John Swinney’s comments come back to haunt him

What comes around goes around. John Swinney has this afternoon become Scotland’s seventh First Minister after being appointed, unopposed, as SNP leader on Monday. It was a coronation event like no other – where Swinney was threatened by a contest from a rank and file activist within his own party after hapless Humza Yousaf paved the way to his own resignation. Now, the veteran Nat and former SNP leader has swooped into government from the backbenches in a move that some hint was a little more scripted than first thought…

Today, Swinney faced off challenges for the top job from the leaders of the Scottish Labour party, the Scottish Conservatives and the Scottish Liberal Democrats in a ceremony rather, er, similar to one that took place just over 12 months ago. As Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton tweeted earlier, ‘it’s that time of year again’. All accepted they were not going to win the title; all made clear why they didn’t think Swinney should either.