Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf has completed the appointment of her ministerial team, the Scottish Government announced on Wednesday afternoon.
The Scottish Cabinet, made up of 10 cabinet secretaries, including the first minister, will be supported by 18 junior ministers, the government revealed.
The appointments include Mร iri McAllan as Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition, Neil Gray as Cabinet Secretary for the Welfare Economy, Fair Work and Energy, and Gillian Martin as Minister for Energy. Lorna Slater was appointed Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity, and will also work alongside the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition, and Patrick Harvie was appointed Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Rights of the Tenants.
Parliament will be asked to approve the new ministerial appointments on Thursday, the government said, adding that a more detailed breakdown of ministerial responsibilities would be confirmed “in due course”.
“The cabinet team I have put forward reflects the priorities we will pursue as a government, such as fighting child poverty, improving public services and building a fairer and greener economy,” Yousaf said in a government announcement.
“Prior to my appointment as First Minister, I have committed to a radical, ambitious and progressive political agenda for Scotland, and I know this team is the right one to deliver it,” he added.
“I want to thank the outgoing ministers for their leadership over the last few years, through many storms we did not create… Those ministers, so ably led by Nicola Sturgeon and John Swinney, leave a strong legacy because the new team can build.โ Yousaf continued.
“Subject to parliamentary approval, the new ministerial team is ready to get to work to deliver for the people of Scotland,” he said.
Ministerial team
McAllan is a former barrister and special adviser to the First Minister on Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform, and was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2021 to represent the Clydesdale constituency, the Scottish Government website says, adding that she was appointed minister of Environment and Territorial Reform in May 2021.
McAllan attended the University of Glasgow for her Diploma in Professional Legal Practice and, after qualifying as a Scottish barrister, specialized in energy and natural resources at a trading firm in Glasgow.
In a statement posted on her Twitter page, McAllan said she was “honoured to be asked by Humza Yousaf to serve the people of Scotland as Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition”.
“I’ll give it my all,” McAllan added in the statement.
Honored to be asked @HumzaYousaf serving the people of Scotland as Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero and Just Transition. ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ ๐
I’ll give it my all. https://t.co/jcbzBoGG31
โ Mary McAllan (@MaryMcAllan) March 29, 2023
Gray was elected to represent the constituency of Airdrie and Shotts in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. He was appointed Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development in January 2022 and in March 2022, he also became in minister with special responsibility for refugees from Ukraine. Before becoming an MP, Gray worked for former Scottish Government health secretary Alex Neil MSP as director of the Airdrie and Shotts constituency office.
Martin has been the MSP for Aberdeenshire East (constituency) since 2016. Prior to serving as an MSP, Martin taught television production at North East Scotland College and ran his own video production company. Slater has been a member of the Scottish Parliament for Lothian since May 2021. She was appointed Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity in August 2021. Before being elected in 2021, Slater worked as an engineer and then as project manager in the renewables sector.
Harvie was elected as an MSP for the Glasgow region in 2003. He was appointed Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights in September 2021. Before becoming an MSP, he worked for a sexual health charity as an LGBT youth worker. in Glasgow and was involved in the campaign to repeal Section 28 during the first session of the Scottish Parliament.
prime minister
Yousaf was sworn in as Scotland’s sixth first minister at the court of session on Wednesday. He was named Scotland’s first minister after a parliamentary vote on Tuesday.
Members of the Scottish National Party (SNP) elected Yousaf as the party’s new leader in an election held between March 13 and 27, the SNP website confirmed on Monday. The final number of eligible members was 72,169 and a total of 50,494 ballot papers containing a valid vote were received, 48,645 of which were cast electronically and 1,849 by post, the SNP revealed. There were three postal ballots rejected and turnout was 70 per cent, the SNP said.
“This is a very proud day for me and my family. I hope it’s also a proud day for Scotland as it speaks to our values โโas a country as I stand here as the first Muslim to lead a western democratic nation,” Yousaf said in a government statement on Tuesday.
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Photo credit – iStock.com/Oleksii Liskonih
