John Swinney handed education role in Cabinet reshuffle

Mark McDonald has become minister for childcare and early years, with Shirley-Anne Somerville taking up the post of minister for further education, higher education and science.

He faces another potentially hard task in implementing the controversial “named person” child protection initiative, which faces calls to be scrapped or put on hold by opposition parties.

This was an admission from Nicola Sturgeon that she didn’t get her first team quite right, yet that has been swallowed up amongst the meat of whether the new appointments will work out.

I am very proud of the SNP Government’s record and what we have been able to achieve across Scotland during my time as Cabinet Secretary, and of the people I have worked with, and of the many often historic moments I shared with the team during my term in office.

His job at transport will be taken by former external affairs minister Humza Yousaf.

In a letter to Ms Sturgeon, Mr Lochhead said he wished to step down to support his wife, who has cancer.

Mr Lochhead was widely expected to be removed after farmers called for his head over the Scottish Government’s failure to pay out hundreds of millions of pounds of European Union support.

Putting that to one side, Mr Walker added that Mr Lochhead had been a great and active supporter of Scottish food and drink in both the United Kingdom marketplace and overseas, and had been genuinely interested in the well-being of farmers.

“We welcome the Scottish Government’s renewed focus on closing the educational attainment gap and youth employment”.

Nicola Sturgeon reckons John Swinney has that ability for real when it comes to ministerial briefs.

She will be tasked with implementing the new welfare powers being devolved to Scotland.

She will be responsible for developing a new social security system.

She became Scotland’s first female first minister in 2014, succeeding Alex Salmond, who stood down following the No vote in the Scottish independence referendum.

The finance brief has been split to create a new Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Cabinet Post, which will be filled by Keith Brown. He has previously expressed “serious concerns” about fracking.

And Perthshire South and Kinross-shire MSP Roseanna Cunningham has been appointed Cabinet Secretary for the Environment.

NICOLA Sturgeon has announced her new cabinet with a bold statement on education.

Ms Sturgeon has maintained her Cabinet’s 50:50 gender balance with five men and five women.

“I am looking forward to the challenge ahead, representing both Mid-Scotland and Fife and the Perth ward and will do my utmost for both”.