Charles III William, Duke of Rothesay Swinney government The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP The Rt Hon John Swinney MSP Kate Forbes MSP Sixth session Alison Johnstone MSP Angela Constance MSP Dorothy Bain KC The Rt Hon Lord Carloway KC PC United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections Local elections Referendums Starmer ministry The Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP The Rt Hon Ian Murray MP The Minister for Independence was a Junior ministerial post in the Scottish Government from March 2023 until it was abolished in May 2024.
The only individual who held the post was Jamie Hepburn, who was appointed by Humza Yousaf in March 2023.
The specific responsibilities of the minister were:[1] The decision to create a dedicated ministerial role for independence was portrayed as a partisan move by the Scottish National Party's critics.
This included Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar, who argued that creating a minister for independence represented a misallocation of resources and priorities when Scotland faces numerous challenges, such as social security issues and economic recovery post-pandemic.
Despite these criticisms, Yousaf defended his decision, citing it as a fulfilment of the manifesto, and the role remained until its abolition by John Swinney following Yousaf's departure in May 2024.