Alex Salmond

WHY did he do it? All the drama over the past couple of weeks - from the almighty strop taken by the Scottish Greens, to Alex Salmond 's brief return to relevance, to John Swinney's unlikely recasting as Scotland's latest Father of the Nation - has rather obscured this question. Why, two weeks ago, did Humza Yousaf suddenly pull the plug on his Green partners, crashing his political career in the process? As the dust settles on an extraordinary few days in Scottish politics, it's a question worth returning to. The answer, I believe, tells us something important about where Scotland stands as we begin the long run-in to the 2026 Holyrood election. It's also, I'd suggest, a cause for optimism.

Swinney succeeded Alex Salmond in the top job in 2000 and spent the next four years trying and failing to impose discipline on his party.

He has the carefully cultivated air of a mild-mannered chartered accountant - which helped to earn him the nickname 'Honest John'. But John Swinney is a seasoned operator with a talent for survival who became a trusted - and ruthless - consigliere to both Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Salmond . Last year he quit as Deputy First Minister after Ms Sturgeon resigned, shortly before the SNP was plunged into multiple crises - including an ongoing police fraud inquiry into the SNP's finances. He had been looking forward to a peaceful spell on the backbenches, allowing him to spend more time with his family. Now, in an astonishing twist to his long career, he may be about to take on the highest political office in the land.