Summary

  • John Swinney takes questions from opposition leaders and MSPs at Holyrood

  • The first minister is back at the Scottish Parliament a day after attending the King and Queen's state banquet for President Donald Trump at Windsor Castle

  • Swinney tells MSPs he was able to press Trump on scrapping tariffs on Scotch whisky entering the United States

  • Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay challenges Swinney on the government's £1.2bn benefits "black hole" for this year

  • The first minister insists the Scottish government has consistently balanced the books while protecting the most vulnerable people in society

  • Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar calls for a guarantee that Scotland's buses, ferries and crucial infrastructure are built in Scotland

  • Swinney says he is proud that investment is being made in the Ferguson Marine shipyard and the Alexander Dennis bus maker to make sure that can happen

Live Reporting

Edited by Mary McCool

  1. Trump and Swinney's 'blossoming relationship'

    Donald Trump and John Swinney shake hands in the White HouseThe White House

    Swinney is at FMQs fresh from attending a lavish banquet held at Windsor Castle as part of Donald Trump's state visit.

    Swinney had been urged to boycott the dinner in protest over US policy on Gaza.

    He defended his decision to attend the event stating it was important to have a “constructive relationship” with the US president.

    The first minister and Trump have rubbed shoulder multiple times in recent months, during Trump's Scottish holiday and last week when Swinney visited the White House to make the case for the reduction or removal of tariffs on Scotch whisky.

    Read more from our political editor Glenn Campbell about Swinney and Trump's 'blossoming relationship'.

    John Swinney sits 10 chairs to Donald Trump's left (King Charles on his immediate left is obscured) at the state banquet at Windsor CastleReuters

    John Swinney sits 10 chairs to Donald Trump's left (King Charles on his immediate left is obscured) at the state banquet at Windsor Castle

  2. Analysis

    A busy week for Swinney and for Scottish politics

    Philip Sim
    BBC Scotland political correspondent

    John Swinney is a busy chap – having been over in Washington DC last week, he was at a state banquet in London last night and will be back in his seat at Holyrood for FMQs.

    And the parliament has been busy too.

    MSPs sat into the evening on Tuesday pondering amendments to a justice reform bill, which the Conservatives are particularly exercised about.

    Russell Findlay has been tweeting this morning about his party’s reasons for voting against the new law on Wednesday, which might make it a possible topic for him today.

    Meanwhile Anas Sarwar has spent the week posting about homelessness, off the back of some fresh statistics.

    The Labour leader also obviously loves a question about health – and there have been some A&E stats out too - but off the back of a UK-US nuclear deal he also quite often brings up industrial strategy as a key dividing line between his party and the SNP.

    It’s not just us playing this guessing game, of course – John Swinney and his team have to prepare for every possible line of questioning on a Thursday lunchtime.

    So a busy week in politics means even more work for the first minister so he can make sure he’s across the issues of the week.

  3. Good morning

    John Swinney and Mairi McAllan walking down a corridor in HolyroodPA Media

    Welcome to the third session of First Minister's Questions since MSPs returned from summer recess.

    First Minister John Swinney will be grilled by opposition leaders Russell Findlay and Anas Sarwar - the day after attending a state banquet with Donald Trump at Windsor Castle.

    Subjects we know will be raised in the chamber are food and drink inflation, support for retail and protections for private renters.

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