Nicola Sturgeon unveils her top team as key Cabinet roles revealed

Two ministers who lost their jobs in previous reshuffles have returned to the Cabinet, while only one junior minister has been promoted.

Earlier this morning, Ms Sturgeon announced two of her longest-serving ministers, Fiona Hyslop and Fergus Ewing, would step down.

Both had been in ministerial roles since 2007.

Ms Sturgeon said former Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf will now take on the crucial health brief following the impact of the pandemic, with responsibility for the NHS and establishing a new National Care Service. 

Meanwhile, Shirley-Anne Somerville has been appointed Scotland's Education Secretary after John Swinney was removed from the post and given a new role as Cabinet Secretary for Covid Recovery.

The SNP Government's record on education has come under sustained fire from opposition parties and this will be seen as a key role as the country seeks to recover from the coronavirus crisis.

Finance Secretary Kate Forbes will shoulder an expanded brief including the economy, with responsibility for the Budget, taxation, economic strategy and trade as well as other areas. She is the only minister to keep her old job.

Angus Robertson, the SNP's former Westminster leader, has been appointed Cabinet Secretary for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture. 

This portfolio covers constitutional policy and will prove crucial as Scotland heads for a constitutional clash with the UK Government over a second independence referendum.

Former Transport Secretary Michael Matheson will take on a new role as Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero, Energy and Transport. 

Elsewhere, Keith Brown has been appointed Justice Secretary.

He was previously Economy Secretary but was removed in a reshuffle in 2018.

Shona Robison has been appointed Cabinet Secretary for Social Justice, Housing and Local Government, tasked with reducing child poverty as well as working to deliver 100,000 affordable homes.  

She quit as Health Secretary in 2018 amid accusations her record was littered with failures. 

Mairi Gougeon, who was public health minister, will become Scotland's new Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands. 

This gives her responsibility for agriculture, food and drink policy, fisheries and aquaculture, among other areas.

The new appointments mean the Cabinet has been slimmed down from 12 roles to 10.

It comes after big names including former Health Secretary Jeane Freeman, Constitution Secretary Mike Russell and Environment Secretary Roseanna Cunningham stood down at the election, taking decades of experience with them.

Scottish Conservative chief whip Stephen Kerr said the best Ms Sturgeon could muster "is the same tired faces that have already failed Scotland’s schools, hospitals and justice system".

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar congratulated those appointed, but added: “Not only will the new government have to lead Scotland out of a pandemic, they will have to take action to rectify the several failings of the previous government, including the drugs death crisis and the looming exams debacle."

Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie said the new cabinet "has not been refreshed; it’s been recycled".

He added: "There are more old faces from the past than new ones for the future."

He said his party would oppose the appointment of a Cabinet Secretary for the constitution, a rold he argued "will distract effort and consume resources that should be used for recovery from the pandemic".

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater said it was "particularly pleasing to see a cabinet position which recognises that energy and transport policy is linked to reducing Scotland’s emissions".

Ms Sturgeon said: “I’m delighted to announce the Scottish Government’s new Cabinet team. 

"Scotland needs a serious Government for the serious times we face as a nation, and in the top level ministerial line-up I have announced today we have exactly that.

“It is a Government which will drive Scotland forward, as we look to build a just, fair and sustainable recovery from the Covid pandemic.

“My Cabinet team combines experience with new arrivals and fresh faces, giving us the range and depth of talent we need to tackle the pressing issues we need to tackle, from covid to climate change.

“This term of office is unquestionably the most important one the nation has faced since devolution, more than 20 years ago. 

"We are dealing with the joint challenges of a global pandemic and recovery from it, the ongoing tests posed by Brexit and the urgent, pressing need to take forward our net zero agenda as part of the global efforts to secure a greener future.

“The magnitude of these challenges is clear, but now is not a moment to shirk from those tasks but to embrace them. 

"In the next five years, we have a chance to shape Scotland permanently for the better, creating a healthier, happier, fairer, more prosperous and more sustainable country for everyone who calls Scotland home, establishing a positive legacy for future generations.

“The immediate challenge is the focus on recovery and the part that all policy portfolios can play in that. 

"But, as I have made clear, when the crisis is over and the time is right, Scotland must and will have the chance to choose its future in line with the unquestionable democratic mandate for that choice.”  

Ms Sturgeon will complete her line-up when appointments to junior ministerial roles are announced later today.