Scotland’s former Deputy First Minister, John Swinney, has been confirmed as the new leader of the SNP today after no other possible candidates came forward to challenge him for the position.After nominations for the post closed, Swinney was confirmed as the only person to put themselves forward to succeed Humza Yousaf following his resignation last week.Swinney will face a vote at Holyrood later this week, where it is likely he will become the Scottish Parliament’s nominated candidate to be the country’s seventh First Minister.Yesterday, veteran SNP activist Graeme McCormick had said he had secured the 100 nominations necessary to run against Swinney, but later announced that he would not be standing.Yousaf announced he was stepping down as both Scottish First Minister and SNP leader on April 29 after his decision to tear up his party’s power-sharing deal with the Scottish Greens left him facing a vote of confidence.The outgoing First Minister said last week he made the decision in order to “repair our relationship across the political divide” in Scotland.During a press conference at Bute House in Edinburgh, he told reporters: “After spending the weekend reflecting on what is best for my party, for the government and for the country I lead, I have concluded that repairing our relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm.”I have therefore informed the SNP’s national secretary of my intention to stand down as party leader and ask that she commences a leadership contest for my replacement as soon as possible.”At the time, the Scottish Greens said his resignation as First Minister was the “right” decision – and while the party’s co-leader Patrick Harvie said the development was “regrettable”, he welcomed the “personal responsibility” Yousaf took in stepping down.He said: “Humza Yousaf is right to resign… His position was no longer tenable after he broke the bonds of trust with the Scottish Greens and with everyone who wanted a stable, progressive, pro-independence government. It is regrettable that it has ended this way, it didn’t need to. “We draw no satisfaction or pleasure from this, but the Scottish Greens could no longer have confidence in Humza Yousaf after he chose to unilaterally end the Bute House Agreement. In doing so, he let down the large majority of Scottish Greens and SNP members who approved the agreement who wanted it to work.”He chose to end a stable majority government and jeopardised the progressive policy programme that both parties had committed to and were working to deliver.”It is to his credit that he has taken personal responsibility. Now though is the time to return to some stability.”More to follow… GB News Read More