Swinney calls for better cooperation between parties in the latest frontbench speech

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deputy Prime Minister John Swinney has called on MPs to better cooperate with those of other parties in what is expected to be his last speech on the government’s front bench.

Mr Swinney announced last month that he would step down with the Prime Minister Nicholas Steurending the most successful political tandem since devolution.

A perpetual minister since the SNP When he came to power in 2007, Mr. Swinney has served in the finance, education and covid-19 recovery portfolios, and has been Ms. Sturgeon’s second-in-command for the past eight years.

Concluding a debate on welfare economics on Wednesday – in what will probably be his last contribution as minister – Mr Swinney said: “I told the Prime Minister several months ago that I intended to resign at the end of the period with which I have temporarily returned to the financial and economic task, and I fear that I have prompted the Prime Minister to do her own reflection at the same time.

He added: “After 16 years in office I have to say I was quite surprised from time to time that more people didn’t ask why I was still here.”

He continued: “As a 15-year-old joining a party that had dire electoral prospects in 1979, my lengthy ministerial career was somewhat of a surprise – there may be hope in that observation for some.”

While admitting that he had “not accomplished everything in my ministerial life” – pointing to Scottish independence as such an issue – Mr Swinney said he was particularly proud of the action he and the government had taken to tackle child abuse, including setting up the Child Abuse Inquiry along with the creation of Redress Scotland to tackle the compensate victims of historical abuse.

His farewell shot, however, was to praise colleagues from other parties and warn MPs to improve their work across the political divide.

“Those reforms have only come about thanks to an honest, non-tribal spirit in this parliament,” he said.

Mr Swinney credited Tory MSP Jamie Greene for his work on the Redress Bill.

He added: “Alex Rowley and Willie Rennie can often extract the greatest degree of reasonableness from me, and I have experienced it unconditionally in the partnership we have built and cherish with the Scottish Greens.

“But may I say kindly to Parliament, there is not nearly enough of that in the Scottish Parliament today.

“I think our discourse would be better for it.”

I have done my best, it is now up to others to fill this space

Concluding his remarks, Mr Swinney told the MSPs that “not everything in Scotland today is terrible”.

He added: “Yes, my ministerial career has been a bit of a surprise to me, but it has also been the privilege of my professional life.

“I am grateful to the Prime Minister for giving me the honor of serving as Deputy First Minister, the people of Scotland for their kindness and Parliament for holding me accountable.

“I’ve done my best, it’s now up to others to fill this space.”

During the debate, tributes were paid to Mr Swinney from across the room, so much so that Tory MSP Murdo Fraser – a frequent parliamentary sparring partner for the Deputy Prime Minister – joked that so many “praises” had been given “at one point I thought that I “should cross the aisle to check his pulse.”

Fellow Tory MSP Liz Smith said, “We probably haven’t agreed very much over the years – in fact I think he’ll argue very little – but I hope he’ll agree we’ve had some compelling conversations.”

She added: “No one can doubt John Swinney’s dedication to the public service or to government, and I am very grateful for the courteous approach he has usually given me, and I want to thank him for that.”

While Lib Dem MSP Willie Rennie said he was “jealous” of the Deputy Prime Minister’s effectiveness, referring to him as the government’s “sweeper”.