Alex Salmond formed the second Salmond government on 19 May 2011 following his Scottish National Party's landslide victory in the 2011 election to the 4th Scottish Parliament. This was the first single-party majority government in the history of the devolved parliament. Salmond's second government ended on 18 November 2014 upon his resignation as First Minister of Scotland.
Second Salmond government | |
|---|---|
 6th government of Scotland | |
| 2011–2014 | |
 Salmond and his cabinet at Bute House, 2011 | |
| Date formed | 19 May 2011 |
| Date dissolved | 18 November 2014 |
| People and organisations | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| First Minister | Alex Salmond |
| First Minister's history | 2007–2014 |
| Deputy First Minister | Nicola Sturgeon |
| Member party | |
| Status in legislature | Majority 69 / 129 (53%) |
| Opposition party | |
| Opposition leader | Iain Gray (2011) Johann Lamont (2011-14) Jackie Baillie (2014) |
| History | |
| Election(s) | 2011 general election |
| Legislature term(s) | 4th Scottish Parliament |
| Predecessor | First Salmond government |
| Successor | First Sturgeon government |
History edit
2011 to 2012 edit
On 18 May 2011, after Salmond was re-elected as first minister, his cabinet was increased in size, from five cabinet secretaries to eight.[1][2] Nicola Sturgeon was re-appointed as Deputy First Minister and Health Secretary. John Swinney, Kenny McAskill and Richard Lochhead all remained in cabinet, with Fiona Hyslop returning, having served as Education Secretary from 2007 to 2009. Bruce Crawford and Alex Neil were promoted to cabinet.
2012 to 2013 edit
In September 2012, Salmond made a snap reshuffle in light of the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.[3] Nicola Sturgeon and Alex Neil switched roles, with Sturgeon taking on responsibility for the independence referendum. Bruce Crawford announced his retirement from government.
2013 to 2014 edit
In 2014, Shona Robison and Angela Constance were promoted to cabinet. Robison oversaw relations for the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Constance saw matters of employment.
Salmond announced his resignation as leader of the Scottish National Party on 19 September 2014 following the Scottish independence referendum; his resignation as SNP Leader took effect on 14 November when Nicola Sturgeon was elected unopposed to replace him.
On the 18 November, Salmond officially resigned as first minister and two days later Sturgeon formed her first government, dissolving Salmond's cabinet.
Cabinet edit
May 2011 to September 2012 edit
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September 2012 to November 2014 edit
Junior ministers edit
Scottish law officers edit
Law officers[4] edit | ||
|---|---|---|
| Post | Name | Term |
| Lord Advocate | The Right Hon. Frank Mulholland QC | 2011–2014 |
| Solicitor General for Scotland | Lesley Thomson QC | 2011–2014 |
References edit
- ^ "First minister Alex Salmond unveils enlarged cabinet". BBC News. 19 May 2011.
- ^ Black, Andrew (20 May 2011). "At-a-glance: Scottish government cabinet". BBC News.
- ^ "Scottish reshuffle: Salmond appoints Sturgeon referendum supremo". the Guardian. 5 September 2012. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
- ^ a b c d "Ministers, Law Officers, Parliamentary Liaison Officers by Cabinet: Session 4" (PDF). www.parliament.scot. Scottish Parliament. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 9 April 2017.