John Swinney expected to lead Scotland after taking the helm of the Scottish National Party

By BRIAN MELLEY
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — A former head of the Scottish National Party is expected to be Scotland’s next leader. John Swinney was confirmed Monday as leader of the SNP after no other candidate came forward. He’s expected to become Scotland’s first minister this week. The 60-year-old Swinney would be Scotland’s third leader in just over a year. Nicola Sturgeon abruptly resigned as Scotland’s first minister last year during a campaign finance investigation that led to criminal charges against her husband. She was replaced by Humza Yousaf. He announced his resignation last week after a political miscalculation in which he booted the Green Party from his governing coalition.