Shona Robison is to replace Kate Forbes as Scotland's finance secretary, the country's new first minister has announced. Humza Yousaf said Ms Robi
Shona Robison is to replace Kate Forbes as Scotland’s finance secretary, the country’s new first minister has announced.
Humza Yousaf said Ms Robison would be given the finance brief as well as serving as his deputy first minister.
Ms Robison is a close friend of former first minister Nicola Sturgeon.
She was responsible for introducing the controversial gender reforms in her previous role as social justice secretary.
The announcement came as Mr Yousaf unveiled his new cabinet team after being formally sworn as first minister in a brief ceremony at the Court of Session.
Other key appointments include Michael Matheson taking over from Mr Yousaf as health secretary, while former transport minister Jenny Gilruth will join the full cabinet for the first time as education secretary.
Another cabinet newcomer, Mairi McAllan, will be the net zero and just transition secretary at the age of just 30.
And Neil Gray, who led Mr Yousaf’s SNP leadership campaign, also joins the cabinet after being given responsibility for the wellbeing economy, fair work and energy briefs.
The SNP’s deputy leader, Keith Brown, has been replaced by Angela Constance as the country’s justice secretary.
The remaining three members of the nine-strong cabinet team are:
Mairi Gougeon, who remains the rural affairs secretary
Angus Robertson, who is still the secretary for the constitution, external affairs and culture
Shirley-Anne Somerville, who becomes cabinet secretary for social justice
Ms Forbes, who was narrowly defeated by Mr Yousaf in the SNP leadership contest, announced on Tuesday that she was leaving the government.
She had been offered a new role by Mr Yousaf that would have given her Ms Gougeon’s rural affairs job rather than finance – which would generally be viewed as a demotion – but turned it down.
The new cabinet team has five members under the age of 40 and, for the first time, has a majority of women.
Mr Yousaf said it reflected the priorities that the government will pursue, including tackling child poverty, improving public services and building a fairer, greener economy.
He added: “I have committed myself to a radical, ambitious and progressive policy agenda for Scotland – and I know that this team is the right one to deliver it.
“As we make the case for Scottish independence, we will continue to govern well and demonstrate to the people of Scotland the benefits of decisions about their lives being taken here in Scotland.”
Mr Yousaf said he wanted a government that looked as much as possible like the people it represented, but insisted that all of his appointments had been made on merit.
He also paid tribute to those ministers who are now departing government – including Nicola Sturgeon and her deputy John Swinney.
Humza Yousaf has opted for a balance of youth and experience in his cabinet.
This is underlined by the way he has split the finance portfolio between his deputy Shona Robison – an MSP since 1999 and a veteran of several government posts – and a fresher face in Neil Gray, who takes on the economy brief.
Angela Constance and Michael Matheson both know their way around government, and have been handed two of the trickier jobs in justice and health.
But perhaps the stiffest task has been reserved for cabinet newbie Jenny Gilruth, the former teacher who must now attempt to close the attainment gap – a task which eluded a succession of education secretaries including John Swinney.
There are one or two glaring absences though.
Keith Brown is out as justice secretary, two years after returning to government. He will presumably go back to focusing on his post as deputy leader of the SNP, with big changes in the offing at party HQ.
And the absence of Kate Forbes may make it harder for Mr Yousaf to pull the party back together, given how close she ran him in the leadership contest.
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