The Greens attack Kate Forbes at John Swinney’s first FMQs

Mr Swinney was officially sworn in on Wednesday after Humza Yousaf resigned amid fallout from his decision to scrap a power-sharing agreement with the Greens.

Ms Forbes, a member of the Free Church of Scotland who has been criticized for her socially conservative views, returned to government as his deputy and as cabinet secretary for business and Gaelic.

The Greens abstained from the vote on Mr Swinney’s nomination as First Minister, guaranteeing him a majority, but Mr Harvie called on the new First Minister to give a signal about the direction his new government would take.

He said: “Yesterday that signal came quite clearly – progressive ministers were sacked and the second most powerful job in government was given to someone who opposed legal equality for LGBT people, who expressed condemnatory attitudes towards abortion and who even expressed the view that this was the case. “People who have families without being married are doing something wrong.”

He asked: “Is this the Scottish Government’s vision for the future of Scotland – does it take us back to the repressive values ​​of the 1950s?”

Mr Harvie asked whether the first minister understood “how worried” many LGBT people and others in Scotland were.

He went on to demand that Mr Swinney continue with “progressive” taxation and not “give in to the right wing of his party”.

The SNP leader said his government would be led from a “moderate left of center” political position.

The first minister said Ms Forbes introduced progressive taxation during her time as finance minister between 2020 and 2023. During this time their budgets were supported by the Scottish Greens.

“I want to lead a modern, dynamic and diverse Scotland,” Mr Swinney said. “A place for everyone, where everyone feels at home and at peace, where they have a place and where their place in our society is protected by my leadership of this country.”

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Ms Forbes said: “I am here to support the First Minister and together we serve all communities in Scotland as we develop and advance the rights of every community in Scotland and I look forward to playing my part to contribute to achieving the government’s goals in this regard.”

She said she had embraced the government’s collective responsibility, adding: “That’s why I stand by the government’s decisions and agenda to improve and advance the rights of all Scottish communities.”

MSPs voted later on Thursday to formally approve Ms Forbes’ appointment.

The Green Party rejected the move, with MP Ross Greer telling Parliament: “We cannot support the appointment of someone who believes not only that equal marriage is wrong, but also that children are born outside of marriage .”

Ms Forbes was the only addition to Mr Swinney’s cabinet, with the rest of the leadership team taken over by Mr Yousaf.

However, the new First Minister rejected the Independence Minister from his first government.

Jamie Hepburn, who held the post, took over as Parliamentary Affairs Minister from George Adam.

Mr Adam and his former ministerial colleagues Joe Fitzpatrick and Emma Roddick have moved to the backbenches, while Ivan McKee – an ally of Ms Forbes – has returned to government as public finance minister.

Mr Swinney served in the SNP cabinet for 16 years before stepping down from government in 2023.

Questioning the First Minister, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross asked whether the government would honor a commitment made by Mr Swinney in his previous role as education secretary to increase the number of teachers by 3,500 by 2026.

He pointed to a government-commissioned report released this week that said the target would have “significant implications for costs and sustainability” and could raise questions about whether it provided “maximum value for money.” .

The report found that the number of teachers fell by 252 from 2021 to 2023.

Mr Ross also referred to reports that Glasgow City Council could cut around 450 teaching jobs within three years.

He told MSPs the Government had a number of “broken promises” on education and said it was “not being honest” with Scots. He repeatedly called on Mr Swinney to confirm whether or not the target for teacher numbers would be met.

The first minister said the government was under “enormous” financial pressure, including UK government austerity measures and “runaway” inflation.

He promised to be honest with the public about the challenges his administration faced.

Scottish Labor leader Anas Sarwar reiterated his concerns about teacher numbers and dismissed Mr Swinney’s “warm words”.

He said the SNP leader was “trapped in the past, defending his own record while Scotland’s children pay the price”.

He asked: “Why does John Swinney think Scotland should accept more of this after being at the center of every SNP failure over the last 17 years?”

The First Minister, who admitted the past week had been “traumatic” for his party, replied: “I have good news for Anas Sarwar.”

“New leadership has just arrived – and I’m here to take it over.”