John Swinney has announced he will stand down as a Scottish Government minister after almost 16 years.

The Deputy First Minister is an SNP veteran and led the party from 2000-2004 before serving in a variety of Cabinet positions following the Nationalists’ breakthrough election victory in 2007.

The MSP had previously announced he would not enter the race to become the next SNP leader after Sturgeon confirmed last month she was standing down.

In a letter to the First Minister published today, Swinney said it had been an “honour to serve Scotland” and that he had always sought “to transform the life chances of everyone”.

In her reply, Sturgeon paid tribute to Swinney’s “deep care and attention to the wellbeing of our nation” and said she could not have wished for a better “partner in government”.

Swinney will remain an MSP and will formally exit the government once a successor to Sturgeon has been appointed by the end of the month.

He is the longest-serving Deputy First Minister in the devolution era – having been appointed in 2014 – and has recently served as interim finance secretary while Kate Forbes was on maternity leave.

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