🗳️Unspun Morning Briefing: Return of John Swinney and oil and gas

MSPs gather at Holyrood this afternoon to nominate Scotland’s next leader and John Swinney is expected to comfortably secure the role. 

The election campaign may be over, but the negotiations, positioning and gentle arm-twisting are only just beginning.

As ever, you can get us on politics@theherald.co.uk. And if you have a friend who’d find this newsletter useful, please forward it on and ask them to subscribe.

Return of the John 

John Swinney is set to become First Minister once again this afternoon after the SNP emerged as by far the largest party at this month's election.

With 58 MSPs, the numbers should ultimately fall his way - even if all opposition leaders formally put themselves forward for the role (and they are). 

The new FM will be officially sworn in next Tuesday with First Minister's Questions expected to resume next Thursday.

Also important to note that a new ministerial team will be announced shortly after the Parliament selects its nominee for First Minister. It is understood that will be later this week. 

Constitutional Rumbles 

Swinney spent the election arguing that voters would give him a mandate to govern and pursue Scotland’s constitutional future if he won a majority of seats.

He fell short of that but the Scottish Greens are already reminding him of other promises he made on independence during the election campaign. 

Co-leader Gillian Mackay has called on Swinney to keep his “day one promise” and bring forward a parliamentary vote on Scotland's right to choose at the first available opportunity.

During the campaign, Swinney pledged that the first sitting day after a new government was formed would include a move towards developing a Section 30 process.

Now the election is over, the question becomes whether that promise survives contact with government reality.

Crude awakening

The first real test of the new Parliament may not be inside Holyrood at all.

Political Editor Andrew Learmonth writes in his Unspun that attention is already shifting to Aberdeen and a looming Westminster by-election -one that could become a major stress test for the SNP's evolving position on oil and gas.

During the campaign, Swinney softened his rhetoric around North Sea drilling, but questions remain over exactly where the SNP now stands.

With Reform pushing a full-throttle "drill Scotland, drill" message and the Conservatives making oil and gas central to their argument, the pressure on the SNP to offer clarity is growing.

Campaign over. A familiar argument comes back to bite.

Meanwhile...

John Swinney has also signalled his government is willing to consider tougher action after disorder surrounding Celtic's title celebrations over the weekend.

That includes looking again at football banning orders and whether specific legislation around pitch invasions should be introduced.

The First Minister described scenes in Glasgow as "astonishingly poor behaviour" by a minority of supporters.

Safe to say his first week back in office may involve more than cabinet appointments.

MSPcraft? Holyrood Crossing? 

And finally, a bit of fun.

There is now a game testing whether you can identify all of Holyrood's MSPs.

With over 64 new MSPs in Holyrood you will be, as Hercule Poirot would note, exercising those little grey cells. 

It will be reassuring to know that our Politics team has gained perfect scores. 

Think Minecraft with a lot more bald men and no diamonds.

Put your knowledge to the test here.  

And speaking of new faces, I’ll also be heading along to a "Meet the New MSPs" event in Edinburgh this morning in partnership with Linco, Institute of Directors (IoD) and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland (ICAS). 

Some of Holyrood’s newest intake will be put under the spotlight. On the panel are new MSPs from the SNP, Reform, Labour and the Lib Dems, including Jack Middleton, Max Bannerman, Katherine Sangster and Sanne Dijkstra-Downie.

Early-morning coffee, fresh MSPs and the first attempts at explaining what exactly everyone plans to do with their new jobs. What could possibly go wrong? I'm looking forward to it and I will be sure to report back.