John Swinney will become Scotland's seventh first minister after being nominated by parliament.

The SNP leader is to succeed Humza Yousaf, who resigned from office earlier on Tuesday.

Mr Swinney was backed by 64 MSPs, while the Scottish Green cohort of seven MSPs abstained, guaranteeing him the required majority.

His appointment will be rubber-stamped by the King before he is officially sworn in at the Court of Session on Wednesday.

Mr Swinney, who has 16 years' cabinet experience and led the SNP between 2000 and 2004, will take office in the week the Scottish Parliament marked 25 years since devolution.

Holyrood's presiding officer will recommend to the King that Mr Swinney is appointed as first minister.

He is expected to be sworn in at the Court of Session on Wednesday.

Responding to the parliamentary confirmation of John Swinney MSP as First Minister, Dr Liz Cameron CBE, Chief Executive of Scottish Chambers of Commerce, said:

“Congratulations to John Swinney as he is formally elected to the post of First Minister of Scotland.

“As First Minister Swinney works to get his team in place, our urgent plea is for a pro-business and pro-economy policy agenda.

“The cost of doing business, labour shortages, diverging taxation systems are all drags on growth and investment. That’s why we need the Scottish Government to work closely with Scotland’s business community to restore business and investor confidence by adopting a clear focus on economic growth.

“We all need to rally together to back Scotland’s businesses and we stand ready to work with the new First Minister to make that happen.”