JOHN Swinney has ditched the minister for independence role created by his predecessor Humza Yousaf.
The role had been held by Jamie Hepburn, the MSP for Cumbernauld and Kilsyth, although he will now hold the role of Minister for Parliamentary Business, replacing George Adam in the role.
It means that Swinney’s team now consists of 11 Cabinet secretaries and 14 ministers.
The Alba Party reacted with fury to the news, with general secretary Chris McEleny commenting: “Humza Yousaf created the role of minister for independence so that it looked like his government was taking action on independence.
“We are currently at a constitutional logjam. John Swinney has said his independence strategy is the same as Humza Yousaf’s – a strategy that the SNP’s longest serving MP Pete Wishart labelled a ‘total mess’.
“The new SNP government has made the decision to deprioritise independence in order to try broaden support for itself within Parliament.
READ MORE: John Swinney's Scottish Cabinet: What changes have been made?
“Instead of appealing to Unionists, the First Minister should be reaching out to Alba Party’s Holyrood leader Ash Regan MSP to turbo charge efforts to drive forward the case for independence.”
Swinney previously told The National his party remain wedded to Yousaf’s independence strategy for the next election.
It involves the SNP winning the majority of Scottish seats at the General Election and taking that as a basis for independence support, which they said they would take to the UK Government to begin negotiations on how to give that “democratic effect”.
Hepburn’s brief in the independence role included “independence strategy, parliamentary co-ordination and liaison regarding devolution, independence and Scotland’s constitutional future, communication with people, businesses and organisations regarding devolution”.
Speaking after the announcement of his Cabinet yesterday, Swinney said he believed “Scotland’s future is best served as an independent country” but added that “more people need to be convinced of that before independence can be achieved”.
He said: “My Cabinet will also focus efforts on reaching out to those who remain unconvinced, with respect and courtesy, to ensure that the people of Scotland have the democratic right to choose their own future.”
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