The Key Figures

Yousaf’s first Cabinet was always going to look different from what came before. The departure of John Swinney as Deputy First Minister created a significant job opening, and Yousaf’s election created a vacancy in the vital role of health.

His new Cabinet contains a range of fresh faces, including Jenny Gilruth, who SNP supporters argue has earned her promotion following a challenging stint in the transport brief. She will slot well into the education brief, given her past as a high school teacher.

The promotions of Mairi McAllan and Neil Gray also signal a desire for some fresh faces at the top of Government.

Nonetheless, familiar characters remain, including Angus Robertson as Constitution Secretary, with this seemingly a reshuffle that has tried to balance experience with youth.

Interestingly, Yousaf has appointed his deputy, Shona Robison, as Finance Minister, returning to the arrangement that was seen under Alex Salmond’s time as First Minister

Where Yousaf’s reshuffle falls down is on maintaining party unity. The resignation of Kate Forbes from Cabinet, following her refusal of a demotion, did not go down well with Forbes’ supporters, and the removal of her campaign manager, Ivan McKee from his role will also not serve to smooth over tensions.

Whilst nobody in the Cabinet, Robertson perhaps excepted, could be considered a ‘political heavyweight’, Yousaf will likely be unable to dominate his Cabinet in the way that Sturgeon managed over her eight years as First Minister. This will make the personalities sitting around the table all the more important.