Amid rising concerns around this year’s exams in schools, Mr Swinney’s former portfolio is now the responsibility of Shirley-Anne Somerville, the former Cabinet secretary for social security.
Kate Forbes, the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch, will stay in her role as finance secretary and will take on an expanded brief, including the wider economy, trade. and enterprise.
Former Westminster leader of the SNP, Angus Robertson, has been appointed Cabinet secretary for the constitution, external affairs and culture.
Humza Yousaf has been appointed as cabinet secretary for health as part of Nicola Sturgeon s reshuffle.
His role will cover everything from a second independence referendum, working with Europe and post-Brexit relations.
Nicola Sturgeon has said her new Cabinet will give Scotland a “serious Government for the serious times we face”, as she completed a major reshuffle of her front-bench team.
The First Minister had already announced that her deputy John Swinney was being moved from education – where his performance has come under fire – to the new role of Covid Recovery Secretary.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, who had previously held the social security brief, is the new Education Secretary – although her appointment had to be made via a Zoom call after it emerged a member of her family is self-isolating.
Covid resulting in a somewhat unorthodox Cabinet Secretary appointment today (tho watch this space for portfolio!!) – for @S A Somerville the Bute House walk has been replaced with a zoom call due to her having a family member in isolation! pic.twitter.com/UQu6usCh0k
Shirley-Anne Somerville is education secretary in Nicola Sturgeon s cabinet reshuffle
The Dunfermline MSP has been promoted to the education job in the re-election reshuffle.
Updated
Shirley-Anne Somerville is now Scottish Education Secretary
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Shirley-Anne Somerville has been appointed Education Secretary in Nicola Sturgeon’s cabinet reshuffle, taking over the troubled brief from John Swinney.
First published on Wed 19 May 2021 10.47 EDT
Nicola Sturgeon has prioritised the Covid recovery and difficult transition to a net zero economy in a significant reshuffle of her cabinet that boosts the roles of younger ministers.
Sturgeon, the first minister, appointed her deputy, John Swinney, to the newly created cabinet post of secretary for Covid recovery, while Michael Matheson , formerly the transport and infrastructure secretary, was given the post of climate, energy and transport secretary, prior to the Cop26 climate talks later this year in Glasgow.
The first minister, who pledged to prioritise the pandemic over a second independence referendum before the election, said the Covid crisis and the task of transitioning quickly to a zero carbon economy meant the current term of office was “unquestionably the most important one the nation has faced since devolution more than 20 years ago”.