NEWS

The Lord President, Lord Pentland, administered the official oath of office to the First Minister, as set out in the Promissory Oaths Act 1868, followed by the official oath and the oath of allegiance to him as Keeper of the Scottish Seal.

The First Minister assented to all three by bowing his head.

The First Minister then signed the parchments in recognition of the oaths just taken.

The Lord President congratulated the First Minister on his re-election:

“You are well acquainted with the arduous and solemn responsibilities that come with the stewardship of a country. The burden of those responsibilities is shared between the three pillars of the State: the government, the legislature, and the judiciary. It is for the government to govern, the legislature to set the laws and hold government to account, and the judiciary to uphold the law.

“On occasion, one or more of those pillars may come under strain. Just as it is the duty of each to remain separate, it is also their duty to support each other’s role in upholding the purpose of the State.

“That purpose is to provide a place which is safe, where commerce can be conducted with confidence and where the basic rights of the individual citizen are respected and upheld. To fulfil that purpose, the State must provide a guarantee to its citizens. A guarantee of fairness. That the rules are clear. That they apply to everyone, equally. That those who break them will face consequences. That the rules are applied in public view, without delay.  And, that nobody – particularly government, Parliament or the judiciary – is above them. That guarantee of fairness is central to the success of our country and to a vibrant democracy.

“We have a label for this guarantee. We call it The Rule of Law. It is the responsibility of all three pillars of the State to extol its benefits and explain what it means to people’s everyday lives in a way that makes it real.”

The Lord President’s full speech is available to read on the Judiciary of Scotland website.