Key moments in the political career of SNP leadership candidate John Swinney

JOHN SWINNEY has been a huge name in the SNP for decades and was even the one-time leader of the party before it was voted into power in 2007.

The 60-year-old has now announced his bid to take on the role of party leader and first minister.

From his early involvement with the SNP to where he is now, here are some of the key moments in his political career.

Key moments in the career of SNP leadership candidate John Swinney

John Swinney became involved with the SNP in 1979 at the age of 15 (Image: PA)

Early involvement in politics (1979 to 1990)

John Swinney became involved with the SNP in 1979 at the age of 15 after becoming angry with the way Scotland was portrayed by television commentators during the Commonwealth Games.

He quickly rose to become a prominent figure in the party's youth wing, the Young Scottish Nationalists (now known as Young Scots for Independence) before serving as the SNP's national secretary in 1986, at the age of 22.

He also supported the leadership campaign of Margaret Ewing in 1990 but would later become a close ally of Alex Salmond.

Elected as MP (1997)

In 1997, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for the Tayside North constituency. He would later step down from this role in 2001.

Elected as MSP to the first Scottish Parliament (1999)

In 1999, John Swinney was elected as an MSP and represented the North Tayside constituency during the first Scottish Parliament.

Leader of the SNP (2000 to 2004)

In 2000, Alex Salmond stepped down as leader of the SNP, triggering a new leadership contest.

Swinney, who launched his bid to become the leader of the SNP, advocated for a gradualist approach to independence while his main rival Alex Neil was considered a fundamentalist, believing that the party should pursue independence as soon as it entered government.

John Swinney won the contest and became leader of the opposition in Holyrood.

Resignation as SNP leader (2004)

After two disappointing elections in 2001 and 2003, which saw the party's vote share and number of seats drop, Swinney resigned as SNP leader.

This was despite other pro-independence parties like the Scottish Greens and Scottish Socialist Party making gains in Holyrood.

John Swinney recently announced his bid to succeed Humza Yousaf as SNP leader and First Minister (Image: PA)

Finance Secretary and Education Secretary (2007 to 2021)

After Alex Salmond was reselected as leader of the party, John Swinney was made finance secretary, overseeing the 2008 financial crash.

He later became education secretary under Nicola Sturgeon, serving until 2016.

SQA exam controversy and Holyrood no-confidence votes (2021)

The 2020 SQA exam controversy saw Swinney face a vote of no confidence backed by the Labour Party, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

He was accused of creating an exam results system that "unfairly penalised pupils at schools which had historically not performed so well".

He later received another no-confidence vote over his liaising with the Committee on the Scottish Government Handling of Harassment Complaints after twice refusing to publish legal advice requested by the committee. He again won this vote.

Covid Recovery Secretary and leadership bid (2021 to present)

Nicola Sturgeon appointed Swinney as Covid Recovery Secretary, a role he served until stepping down in 2023.

He has since been part of the SNP backbenches, but could be the leader of the party once again after confirming his bid to succeed Humza Yousaf as first minister.