First minister John Swinney returns for third visit of election campaign

FIRST minister John Swinney has arrived in Shetland for the third time in nine months as the Scottish election campaign hots up.

Swinney’s arrival on Monday follows swiftly on the heels of visits from the leaders of Reform UK and Scottish Greens last week.

He helped members of the SNP party pick litter  in Scalloway on Monday morning as part of the annual Da Voar Redd Up operation in the isles.

And Swinney will walk through Commercial Street in Lerwick at around 11.15am.

The first minister visited Shetland in August 2025 and February 2026 in support of the party’s election candidate for Shetland, Hannah Mary Goodlad, who also took part in the Voar Redd Up cleaning this morning.

Shetland News will have more coverage of Swinney’s visit, including an interview with the first minister, later today.

The full list of confirmed Shetland candidates for the election on 7 May, in alphabetical order, are as follows: Alex Armitage (Greens), Douglas Barnett (Conservatives), Vic Currie (Reform UK), John Erskine (Labour), Hannah Mary Goodlad (SNP), Emma Macdonald (Liberal Democrats), Brian Nugent (Alliance to Liberate Scotland), Peter Tait (independent).